Stronger online child protection, Sierra Madre conservation added to LEDAC priority bills
Two proposed laws focused on protecting children online and conserving the Sierra Madre have joined the government's growing list of priority measures.
Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council announced that they have added House Bill No. 9965, or the Children's Social Media Safety Act, and House Bill 3538, or the Sierra Madre Conservation and Development Authority Act, to the more than 20 priority bills being pushed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
House Bill No. 9965 aims to strengthen the protection of children from digital risks through various online safety standards.
These include age verification, parental controls, and safeguards against harmful content.
The bill's explanatory note stressed that every child "deserves a safe environment to grow, learn, and develop free from harm both in the physical and digital world."
It pointed to studies associating excessive social media use among children with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, sleep problems, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, and compulsive use encouraged by platform design. It also raised concerns about children's growing exposure to misleading and AI-generated content, which could distort their perception of reality and affect their development.
With this, the bill seeks to impose a social media ban on children below 13 years of age, recognizing their "heightened vulnerability and limited capacity to navigate digital risks."
Meanwhile, children aged 13 to 18 would only have access through verifiable parental or guardian consent and active, continuous supervision. Platforms will also need to periodically re-verify their age and parental consent. Access will automatically be restricted when the consent is withdrawn.
Platforms that fail to act on requests involving prohibited accounts may be fined between P5 million and P10 million, while violations of the law’s platform obligations and enforcement requirements carry stiffer penalties of P20 million to P50 million.
On the other hand, the goal of House Bill 3538 is to establish a 25-year development plan for the Sierra Madre to create stronger environmental protection and sustainable livelihood programs.
The other priority bills that Marcos wants to be passed before his last SONA in June 2027 include the following:
- Promoting Growth, Revenue, and Equity Towards Socio-Economic Sustainability (Progress) Bill, which aims to exempt employees earning up to P350,000 annually from paying income tax
- Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), including abolition of system loss charge, strengthening of the Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Sariling Kuryente Act
- General Tax Amnesty, including Estate Tax Amnesty
- Waste Treatment Technology/Waste-to-Energy Bill)
- Amendments to the National Building Code
- Anti-Political Dynasty Law
- Party-list System Reform Act
- People’s Freedom of Information/Right to Information Act
- Amendments to the Bank Deposits Secrecy Law, or the Banking Reform for Integrity, Good Governance, Honesty, and Transparency (Bright) Act
- Philippine Budgeting Code
- Travel Tax Abolition
- Amendments to the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act
- Amendments to the Fisheries Code
- Expanded National Nutrition Program Act
- Classroom-Building Acceleration Program Act
- Amendments to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (Gastpe) Act
- Amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act
- Presidential Merit Scholarship Program
- National Coordinating Council for Education (NCCE) Act
- Child Online Safety and Protection Act (amending the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act)
- National Center for Geriatric Health Act
- Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Act
- Amendments to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act
- National Reintegration Law (Bagong Balikbayan Act)
