Artificial intelligence-generated and deepfake child sexual abuse materials may soon be explicitly covered under Philippine law after lawmakers approved a measure expanding legal protections against online child exploitation and other emerging digital threats.

The House of Representatives on June 2 unanimously approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 9461, or the proposed “Child Online Safety and Protection Act of 2026,” which broadens the definition of child sexual abuse or exploitation materials to include AI-generated, synthetic, and digitally manipulated content involving children.

The proposal seeks to repeal Republic Act No. 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act, and replace it with an expanded legal framework addressing evolving forms of online exploitation.

Aside from covering AI-generated and deepfake materials, the bill also criminalizes a broader range of offenses, including online grooming, sexual extortion, luring, image-based sexual abuse, and livestreamed exploitation.

Those convicted of producing, distributing, livestreaming, or facilitating child sexual abuse materials may face life imprisonment and fines of at least P2 million. Possession of such materials may be punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, while knowingly accessing exploitative content could carry penalties of up to 12 years in prison.

To strengthen enforcement, the measure authorizes lawful blocking, takedown, and disruption orders against websites, accounts, and digital infrastructure linked to child exploitation offenses. It also imposes reporting and prevention obligations on internet service providers, digital platforms, financial intermediaries, educational institutions, and regulators.

The bill likewise allows covered entities to temporarily restrict suspicious financial transactions linked to child exploitation cases and creates a National Council for Child Online Safety and Protection under the Department of Justice, alongside a National Child-Safety Command and Operations Service for investigations and interagency coordination.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which co-chairs the National Coordination Center Against OSAEC and CSAEM, welcomed the measure, saying it could help expand interventions for victim-survivors and their families.

“Having a bill, at kung maisabatas na, that supports the mandate of our Department means that we can expand the reach of our programs, especially the interventions for victim-survivors and their families who experienced OSAEC,” DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said.

(Having a bill, and once it becomes law, that supports the mandate of our Department means we can expand the reach of our programs, especially interventions for victim-survivors of OSAEC and their families)

Dumlao said the measure reflects the need for government responses to keep pace with technological developments as child exploitation crimes increasingly migrate to digital platforms.

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