Canada has proposed banning children and teenagers under 16 from using social media, following a similar move introduced by Australia late last year.
However, Canada’s plan would differ from the Australian model by allowing technology companies to avoid the ban if they can prove they have effective policies in place to reduce harm to young users.
The proposed legislation also includes broad rules covering AI chatbots and online “harmful content”, while establishing a new regulator to oversee compliance by tech companies. Free speech organisations have raised concerns that the measures could widen censorship powers.
The proposal comes as parents and child safety campaigners push for stronger online protections, and as several other countries, including the UK, consider similar restrictions.
The legislation has been introduced ahead of next week’s G7 summit in France, where global leaders are expected to discuss artificial intelligence and ways to protect children from online harm.
Canada’s proposed Safe Social Media Act was tabled in the House of Commons on Wednesday by Culture Minister Marc Miller.
Earlier this week, Miller said tackling online harm had become an urgent priority for the Canadian government because “kids are dying”.
“Suffice to say, we will take all reasonable measures to make sure kids are safe in this country,” he told reporters.
Canada has faced growing pressure to introduce online safety legislation after the previous Liberal government twice failed to pass similar measures.
Several countries have already moved ahead with online safety laws, including the UK through its Online Safety Act, along with France and New Zealand.
AI safety has also become a major issue in Canada following a deadly school shooting in British Columbia in February. The 18-year-old suspect was later found to have used ChatGPT to discuss gun violence in the months before the attack, which killed eight people, including six young children.
OpenAI later faced criticism for not reporting the suspect’s account to police. The company’s CEO, Sam Altman, subsequently sent a written apology to the victims’ families.
However, there remains no clear agreement in Canada over whether new online harms legislation is the right approach.
Some free speech advocates argue that online harms should instead be handled through existing provisions in Canada’s criminal code.
The proposed Bill C-34 identifies seven categories of “harmful content”, including material that bullies a child, promotes hatred or incites violence.
Under the proposed law, the maximum penalty for violations would be the greater amount between $10 million, or 3% of a company’s gross global revenue.
The Canadian government says the legislation would establish a new independent body called the Digital Safety Commission of Canada. According to briefing documents, its members would be appointed by the cabinet.
The UK is also considering a social media ban for teenagers, with an announcement expected next week on a possible restriction for users under 16.
In Greece, a ban on social media use by children under 15 is scheduled to come into effect in January.
Australia became the first country to ban young teenagers and children from accessing social media six months ago, although the measure has since faced criticism over its effectiveness.
The Australian law prevents users under 16 from creating new accounts on platforms including Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, while also requiring existing accounts to be deactivated.
Social media companies in Australia can be fined up to A$49.5 million for serious or repeated breaches. The law requires platforms to take “reasonable steps” to keep children off their services, including using several age-checking tools such as ID checks, facial recognition or voice recognition.
However, a recent Australian government survey found that around 70% of parents said their children were still using social media. Many parents also said platforms had not asked their children to verify their age after the law came into force.
The Australian government has said it has launched five investigations into alleged non-compliance, including cases involving Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.
Sara Austin, whose organisation Children First Canada has long campaigned for online harms legislation, said Canada’s decision to include an exemption clause could prove beneficial by encouraging companies to improve safety standards more broadly.
This, she said, “will not only benefit children, but will also benefit all Canadians” using these platforms.
Austin added that Canada has fallen behind other countries in addressing online safety, but said she hopes the proposed law can help set a new standard ahead of the G7 summit.
