Canada Proposes Social-Media Ban for Children Under 16

The Safe Social Media Act, which still requires parliamentary approval, allows most social-media platforms to obtain exemptions if they meet safety requirements that would be determined by a new regulator created by the bill. Adult pornography platforms can’t seek exemptions, and the age limits won’t apply to AI chatbots or game platforms such as Roblox.

“More and more kids are suffering from anxiety, depression, self-harm and exploitation,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a social-media post on Wednesday. “To keep our kids safe, we have to ensure that our laws keep up with technology.”

Marc Miller, Canada’s culture minister, told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa that the law would likely apply to companies including Meta and Snapchat, though they aren’t named. Firms that fail to comply face penalties of up to 3% of their global revenue or 10 million Canadian dollars ($7 million)—whichever is greater.

The law didn’t specify how social-media companies would have to verify users’ ages, leaving that up to the regulator.

The proposed ban could further strain relations with the U.S., which has identified several Canadian regulations or attempts to legislate in the digital sphere as trade irritants.

Asked if he was worried about U.S. retaliation, Miller said, “I worry more about kids.”

Snapchat didn’t 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 more countries that are 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. The country’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.

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 have said social-media platforms leave young people vulnerable to cyberbullying and sexual exploitation and are responsible for worsening mental health. A ban has drawn support in Canada from several provincial leaders, teachers’ groups and the Canadian Medical Association. Polls show broad support for age limits in Canada.

Opponents include tech companies and some civil-liberties groups, who say there isn’t enough evidence to blame social media for mental illnesses 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 aimed at addressing the potential harms children face online, without success.

The issue has drawn renewed scrutiny since a mass shooting at a school in British Columbia in February. 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 the company. OpenAI has said that 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 find ways to direct users who threaten to harm themselves or others to the appropriate resources, but it wouldn’t necessarily require them to report such behavior to law enforcement.

Miller said age limits wouldn’t apply to chatbots because the risks to young people from their use isn’t as well studied as the harms from social media.

Write to Amanda Coletta at [email protected]