Social media ban may force children to circumvent restrictions, group warns

A consumer advocacy group on Friday warned that the proposed social media ban could push children to circumvent the restriction, potentially putting them at greater risk.

Instead of a blanket prohibition, CitizenWatch PH said lawmakers should pursue a “balanced and proportionate” regulation that would protect children while maintaining their access to social media platforms.

“Broad prohibitions may not fully address how young users behave online or how platforms operate across borders. The challenge is ensuring that the solutions adopted are practical, effective, and sustainable,” the group said.

The group’s co-convenor, former Quezon City Rep. Kit Belmonte, said that while protecting children online is a legitimate goal, a total ban is “not the right solution” to the complex risks facing young internet users today.

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

Some lawmakers, including Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, are seeking to ban minors under 16 from accessing and creating social media accounts.

CitizenWatch PH cautioned that such a prohibition may instead drive children to find alternative ways to access these platforms, including using virtual private networks (VPNs), creating false adult identities, or shifting to private messaging apps, gaming chats, and offshore platforms that may have weaker safeguards or less transparent moderation systems.

“Young users are highly adaptive in digital spaces. If access is restricted on mainstream platforms, some may simply migrate to channels that are harder for parents, platforms, and regulators to monitor. That may risk displacing harm rather than reducing it,” the group said.

“A targeted framework centered on platform accountability and child safety standards is more practical. Safer default settings for minors, stronger parental controls, time management tools, transparent reporting systems, digital literacy education, and stricter enforcement of existing consumer protection and data privacy laws are better options to achieve the objective,” it added.

GMA News Online has reached out to Gatchalian for comment.

Several countries, including India and Spain, have begun implementing restrictions on social media use for children under 16.

In July 2025, the Council for the Welfare of Children said it welcomed proposals to regulate children’s social media use but expressed reservations about a total ban.—Sundy Locus/AOL, GMA News