Marcos Jr. ‘studying really hard’ proposed blanket social media ban among minors

SINGAPORE — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government is “studying really hard” a proposed bill restricting social media use among minors, citing potential repercussions.

“The blanket ban, that’s also something that we’re still studying really hard,” Marcos stated in a press briefing on the last day of his five-day working visit to Singapore on Sunday, October 11.

The President said he wants to see whether the country can also adopt a policy banning social media for children aged 16 and below, similar to measures in other countries such as Australia and Indonesia.

“Tinitingnan namin kung tama ba, baka bagay din sa atin ‘yun. And it has its advantages but there’s also one thing that comes out of it na kapag binan (ban) mo, itatago nung bata. So, hindi mo na ngayon alam na that kid is going on to that site, reading all of this, is getting groomed,” he stated.

The Senate earlier approved Senate Bill No. 2424, or the Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (SMART KIDS) Act, which prohibits the creation of social media accounts for children below 18 years old.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Robinhood Padilla, requires digital service providers to implement age-assurance systems and suspend, restrict, or remove accounts operated by minors on “high-risk” digital platforms like Meta, Roblox, and Gorebox amid growing concerns over the alleged grooming of minors linked to violence in the wake of school shootings that killed several students.

The measure does not cover email, private messaging apps without public or group features, school platforms, news websites, or online gaming platforms.

The Chief Executive also underscored the need to examine the root causes of violence among minors, describing the issue as both “psychological” and a “generational problem.”

“Thank God, my generation, we didn’t have to worry about this, but this generation does. And we, who are supposed to be taking care of them and looking after them, we have to get something done,” Marcos said.

For now, social media platforms that were previously flagged have been cooperating with the government, according to the President.

“Now, in fairness, the providers now, because we brought the problem to them, are – they tend to cooperate. And sinasabi nila basta maipakita ninyo na ito talaga, unang-una, fake news, o ito, ‘yun na nga, grooming, et cetera, et cetera, isasara namin ‘yan,” he said.

“It’s a work in progress. It’s a hard question,” Marcos added, as he stressed the need for a whole-of-nation approach.

“Don’t get me wrong. Having the metal detectors in the school, that helps. You know, the teachers and the parents being more attentive and listening to their children, of course, that helps,” he said.

“So, all of these things. There’s no silver bullet to this. You have to bring many, many things together,” Marcos added.