How School Violence Catalyzed Philippine Lawmakers to Crack Down on Kids’ Social Media Use

School shootings used to be rare in the Philippines. But a spate of incidents involving students this year seems to have catalyzed the Southeast Asian nation’s lawmakers to swiftly pass bills cracking down on what they deem to be a cause of the deadly trend: social media.On Monday, the Philippines House of Representatives passed a bill banning children under 13 from social media platforms, while those between 13 and 17 would have limited access, with 287 members voting in favor and only three against the measure. The latest bill follows its Senate counterpart, which passed last week but has a higher age threshold, barring people under 18 from social media platforms and services classified as “high-risk.”The bills must first reconcile their differences before they head to the President for signature. But their passage already follows steps taken by other countries such as Australia, the U.K., and more in introducing age-based restrictions on social media amid concerns over these platforms’ impact on children’s mental health and safety.Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that it was not “surprising at all” that Congress took action amid concerns that social medi...