House bill wants regulation on minors' use of social media refiled

Are you a parent with children glued to their social media all day? Well, a lawmaker has filed a bill seeking regulation on children’s use of social media platforms.

File photo: Official Facebook profile on Instagram

Social Media Regulation and Protection Act of 2019 refiled!

Called the Social Media Regulation and Protection Act of 2019, the bill "puts children’s well-being on the top priority."

With the advent and creation of social media, children and adolescents' every move is monitored online, and even the youngest are bombarded with advertising when they go online to do their homework, talk with friends, and play, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez said in his explanatory note for House Bill No. 543.

This legislation not only strengthens privacy and security specifically for children and minors but also champions consumer protection, he added.

He filed the same bill during the 18th Congress, which was transmitted to the committee on appropriations.

Under the proposed measure, social media companies are required to comply with the following:

• They should provide age restrictions and limitations on the use of social media platforms
• They should provide adequate and efficient notification mechanisms for declared parents of a child
• Firms should strengthen features restricting users under 13 years old
• They should not collect personal information of users below 13 years old without parental consent, and from users 13-17 years old without their consent.
• Companies should set up "natural stopping points" for users that would end scrolling after a certain amount of content
• They should make it easier for users to track the amount of time they spend online
• Companies should set a daily time limit for users when using their platform

Government authorities to be tapped in implementing the proposed law are the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Department of Health, and the National Privacy Commission.

Do you think this bill will be effective?