Canada proposes teen social media ban - with workaround for tech firms

The bill includes sweeping measures to curtail "harmful content" online and would create a regulator.

Canada's culture minister introduced legislation to ban children under 16 from having social media accounts, citing serious online harms and emphasizing the safety of children.

The Canadian government introduced a new digital safety bill that would ban social media for children under 16, with exemptions for platforms meeting certain safety standards, and aims to regulate AI chatbots.

The federal government has officially introduced its long-awaited online safety legislation, tabling Bill C-34, known as the Safe Social Media Act, in Parliament, which includes a social media ban for kids under 16 and the creation of a new Digital Safety Commission of Canada.

The federal government is expected to introduce a bill to enact the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act, which is anticipated to include a ban on social media for kids under 16.

Canada is moving to put new guardrails around social media and AI chatbots, with a clear focus on children’s safety, through the introduction of Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act.

The bill includes a new regulator and sweeping measures to curtail 'harmful content' online.

Canada has introduced legislation that could bar children younger than 16 from possessing social media accounts, joining a growing global effort to tighten safety protections.

The Canadian government introduced a digital safety bill on Wednesday that would ban social media for children under 16 with exemptions for platforms that meet certain safety standards, months after Australia enacted the world’s first social media ban for young people.

The regulation also imposes new safety expectations on 'AI chatbot services.'