- Canada tables the The Safe Social Media Act in Bill C-34
- It needs to be approved by both the House of Commons and the Senate
- Under-16s would be banned from social media platforms
There’s an increasing realization that social media isn’t particularly healthy for younger children, and a growing number of governments are now taking legislative action in response, with Canada the latest country to move to ban access to social media platforms for under-16s.
This is being done via the The Safe Social Media Act (via Engadget), put forward by the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller. The Act describes “growing risks” for young people that are “real, measurable, and increasing” — including negative effects on mental health, cyberbullying, and sexual abuse.
The Act also flags up AI as driving changes in “how harmful content is created, amplified, and experienced online”. The Canadian government posits that the algorithms and engagement-baiting of social media platforms, together with features like endless scroll and autoplaying videos, have exacerbated these problems.
Introduced under Bill C-34, the Act is now officially tabled in the Canadian Parliament, though there’s a way to go yet before it’s made law. It will need to be voted in by both the House of Commons and the Senate, before being approved by the Governor General, but the process is now well underway.
“We’re failing our children,” Miller told reporters including CBC. “Enough is enough. We need basic protection in place so every child in this country can be safe on platforms they use every day.” The plan is to set up a watchdog commission to make sure the ban on access for under-16s is upheld.
AI not included
The ban would apply to social media platforms, livestreaming services, and adult content services. Social media platforms and livestreaming services (but not adult content services) will be able to apply for exemptions, if they can prove “adequate safeguards” have been put in place for young people.
AI chatbots won’t be included in the ban, though the bill does require that they take steps to reduce the risk of harmful content being generated in response to user prompts. Miller said that AI apps represented “an evolving playing field”, and that authorities would “keep a close eye” on these services.
Exactly how this ban will be enforced hasn’t been specified — Miller said there would be “a back and forth” with the social platforms on this — and CBC quotes concerns from Michael Geist, the University of Ottawa’s Canada Research Chair, that any kind of age verification process would impinge on the privacy rights of all users, not just children.
A similar ban on social media for under-16s was put in place in Australia last year, though there’s some debate over how effective it’s being. Other countries, including the UK, are weighing up restrictions of their own, though difficulties with enforcement and verification are problems no matter what the location.
It’s a little over 20 years since Facebook arrived, and social platforms are now facing a real reckoning: Meta and YouTube were ruled “negligent” by a Los Angeles court back in March, while just this week Apple devoted a large part of its WWDC 2026 presentation to improved protections for children on its devices.
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