Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday proposed banning children under 16 from social media platforms including Snapchat and Instagram, advancing what would be one of the most restrictive age-based internet regulations among major economies.
The Safe Social Media Act, which still requires parliamentary approval, would create a new regulator to enforce the age restrictions, according to the government. Most social media platforms could obtain exemptions if they meet safety requirements determined by the regulator, but adult pornography platforms are excluded from seeking exemptions. The age limits would not apply to AI chatbots or game platforms such as Roblox, Culture Minister Marc Miller said.
“More and more kids are suffering from anxiety, depression, self-harm and exploitation,” Carney said in a social media post Wednesday. “To keep our kids safe, we have to ensure that our laws keep up with technology.”
Miller told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa that the law would likely apply to companies including Meta and Snapchat, though the bill does not name specific firms. Companies that fail to comply face penalties of up to 3% of their global annual revenue or 10 million Canadian dollars ($7 million), whichever is greater.
The legislation does not specify how social media companies would have to verify users’ ages, leaving that determination to the new regulator.
The proposed ban could further strain relations with the United States, which has identified several Canadian digital regulations as trade irritants. Asked if he was concerned about U.S. retaliation, Miller said, “I worry more about kids.”
Snapchat did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, Meta called social media bans “counterproductive” and said it was examining the details of the bill. The company said it was encouraged that the government recognized that sufficient online safeguards “provide real value to young people.”
Canada is joining a growing list of countries imposing or considering age restrictions on social media use. Australia in December became the first country to impose a social media ban for under-16s. Australia’s online safety regulator, eSafety, said in a March report that while social media platforms had taken “some steps” to comply, a “substantial number of children” retained accounts. MSI previously reported on the global trend of countries enacting child safety measures online, including Indonesia’s plan to restrict social media access for children under 16 and Greece’s announced intention to ban social media for kids 15 and under.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said protecting children from artificial intelligence and digital abuse will be among his priorities when he hosts next week’s Group of Seven summit in the Alps.
The law’s advocates say social media platforms leave young people vulnerable to cyberbullying and sexual exploitation and are responsible for worsening mental health. The ban has drawn support from several provincial leaders, teachers’ groups, and the Canadian Medical Association. Polls show broad public support for age limits in Canada, according to the government.
Opponents include tech companies and some civil liberties groups, who say there is not enough evidence to blame social media for mental illness among young people. They also say bans can be easily circumvented.
Canada’s national government — led by the Liberal Party since 2015 — has long sought to pass legislation addressing potential harms children face online without success, Miller said.
The issue has drawn renewed scrutiny since a mass shooting at a school in British Columbia in February, according to the government. The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI had considered alerting Canadian authorities to the 18-year-old shooter’s interactions with its chatbot, which included descriptions of gun violence, but opted against it.
The families of several victims of the shooting, which killed eight people and injured dozens more, are suing OpenAI, according to published reports. OpenAI said it strengthened safety measures, and Chief Executive Sam Altman apologized for failing to alert law enforcement to the perpetrator’s account. News Corp, the owner of the Journal, has a content-licensing partnership with OpenAI.
The Canadian bill would require AI companies to develop ways to direct users who threaten to harm themselves or others to appropriate resources, but it would not necessarily require them to report such behavior to law enforcement.
Miller said the age limits would not apply to chatbots because the risks to young people from their use is not as well studied as the harms from social media.