The Canadian government has proposed a bill that would ban social media for children under the age of 16, with possible exceptions for platforms that demonstrate "sufficient protections."
Ottawa unveiled the proposed legislation, called the Safe Social Media Act, in a press release on Wednesday.
If approved, social media platforms would be required to implement age verification and reduce children's exposure to harmful content, including child sexual exploitation, non-consensual intimate images, promotion of self-harm, harassment, hate, violence, and terrorist or extremist material.
The bill would also regulate artificial intelligence chatbots, requiring them to “mitigate the risk” of harmful outcomes and requiring better reporting from platforms in crisis situations, such as when users communicate intent to harm themselves or others.
A new digital security regulator will be created to oversee and enforce the rules.
"We have seen the very serious consequences that online harm can have. As technologies evolve, we must ensure that our laws keep pace, because parents cannot face these challenges alone," said Canadian Culture Minister Marc Miller in a government press release.
The bill comes amid growing international efforts to regulate children's online activity.
Late last year, Australia became the first country to ban children under 16 from accessing major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Brazil and Indonesia introduced their own restrictions in May.
France has advanced legislation to ban children under 15 from social media, although the measure has not yet completed the legislative process. Other countries, including the United Kingdom, Austria and Denmark, are also developing similar restrictions.
Social media giants like Meta Platforms, TikTok and YouTube have come under increasing scrutiny in recent months, including a landmark product liability trial in Los Angeles over allegations that they intentionally designed their platforms to be addictive for children.
