‘Regulate, don’t ban social media for minors’

MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers should push for a “balanced, proportionate regulation,” protecting youth online instead of enforcing a social media ban, according to a consumer advocacy group.

A total ban on minors’ access to social media is “not the right solution,” CitizenWatch Philippines co-convenor and Quezon City 6th District Rep. Kit Belmonte said recently.

“It may overlook important nuances, create unintended consequences and fail to address the real sources of harm,” he said. “Protecting minors online should not mean excluding them from the digital world.”

Belmonte said the goal is not to shut out young people, but to ensure that they can participate safely and responsibly in a digital environment that is now central to education, opportunity and everyday life.

In Congress, 10 House and five Senate bills are pushing for a social media ban inspired by measures enforced in Indonesia and Australia.

Global child rights experts, including the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, have stressed that online safety measures must focus on reducing exposure to harmful content while preserving the benefits of digital engagement for minors.