Lawmakers are calling for stronger regulation of social media platforms and enhanced online child protection measures following the deadly shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City that left three students dead and more than a dozen others injured.
Rodolfo “Ompong” Ordanes, representative of the Senior Citizens party-list, urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to investigate the online activities of the suspects and hold social media platforms accountable if they failed to flag or report potentially violent behavior.
“I call on the Department of Information and Communication Technology to hold social media platforms accountable for not red-flagging and reporting to cybercrime authorities and the police the alarming and disturbing acts like those of the two suspects in the deadly school shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City,” Ordanes said in a statement.
The lawmaker also asked the DICT and the Philippine National Police’s cybercrime units to review the social media activities of suspects involved in recent violent crimes, including stabbing incidents in Cavite City and General Trias, as well as other violent offenses and hazing cases in recent years.
Ordanes said authorities should provide regular updates on investigations and ensure that electronic and digital evidence is preserved for use in criminal proceedings.
“We want the electronic, digital, and visual evidence properly preserved and intact because those are needed for prosecution and trial,” he said.
Separately, Sen. Joel Villanueva called on the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) to include his proposed Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (SMART KIDS) Act among the administration’s priority measures.
Villanueva said the Tacloban shooting has renewed concerns about children’s exposure to harmful content online and highlighted the need for broader safeguards beyond traditional school-based interventions.
Under Senate Bill No. 2071, children below 15 years old would be prohibited from creating or maintaining accounts on social media platforms and other covered digital services. Responsibility for enforcement would fall on platform operators rather than minors.
“This bill is anchored on a simple but vital principle: those who shape the digital environment must also be responsible for making it safe,” Villanueva said.
The measure would require social media companies and other covered digital services to implement age-assurance systems, content moderation mechanisms, safety-by-design features, and processes to identify and remove underage accounts. Platforms would also be required to submit annual transparency reports to the DICT.
Villanueva said the proposal complements existing legislative efforts targeting online sexual abuse and exploitation of children by focusing on platform accountability and digital safety design.
“Rather than penalizing young users, the measure ensures that those who design, operate, and profit from digital platforms are held accountable for maintaining a safe environment,” he said.
The bill includes data privacy safeguards by prohibiting platforms from requiring government-issued identification cards for age verification or creating centralized identity databases.
Violations could result in administrative fines ranging from P1 million to P20 million, with penalties of up to P50 million and possible suspension of operations for repeated or grossly negligent offenses.
The calls for stronger digital safeguards come as authorities continue investigating the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School. Investigators have said the attack appeared to have been premeditated.
Police are examining whether one of the suspects was influenced by GoreBox, a violent sandbox-style video game that was temporarily blocked by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) pending further review.
Authorities are also investigating reports that the attack may have been linked to bullying.
