Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is set to introduce new legislation as early as Wednesday that may limit young Canadians’ access to social media platforms.
“I think it’s obvious why it’s priority. Kids are dying,” said Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller on his way into a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
This week, the Globe and Mail reported that the proposed bill aims to ban social media for children under 16 and create a new digital regulator tasked with establishing safety standards, including measures for addressing risks posed by artificial-intelligence chatbots.
The report noted that companies complying with these standards would be allowed to let young Canadians use their platforms again.
Neither Miller, who is leading the bill, nor Justice Minister Sean Fraser would confirm specifics about the legislation – citing rules that protect confidentiality before bills are introduced in the House of Commons.
“I think it suffices to say that we will take all reasonable measures to make sure kids are safe in this country,” said Miller.
“You don’t have to give up your freedoms in order to ensure people can live safe in a society,” he stated.
“When you’re meeting with parents dealing with a child who’s been bullied not only at school but also when they come home at night, it doesn’t feel particularly free for that kid living their life day-to-day.” WATCH | Australia issues social media ban for kids under 16:
Australia issues social media ban for kids under 16
Australia has issued a ban on social media for kids under 16, passing a world-first law through its Parliament. Many parents are celebrating the move, but social media companies say it’s been rushed.
Miller’s bill comes as several other nations consider restricting children’s access to social media just days before discussions at G7 in France where this issue is also expected.
Australia became the first country late last year to enforce an age requirement for having accounts on Tik Tok, You Tube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.
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Previous Liberal Effort Failed
The legislation – named the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act – follows several months of consultations as the government looks to revive its online harms initiative. A prior attempt was halted when former prime minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament in early 2025. This earlier contentious bill included amendments to the Criminal Code and Canadian Human Rights Act aimed at tackling content used for bullying or promoting self-harm among children, hate speech, violent or terroristic content, material sexualizing children or victims of sexual violence, and non-consensual sexual content shared online. <p. At that time Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused the government of undermining free speech, arguing that issues like bullying should be handled by law enforcement rather than being assigned to a new bureaucracy. In response to concerns regarding free speech ahead of this new bill, Fraser defended the government’s stance.“You don’t have to give up your freedoms in order to ensure people can live safe in a society,” he stated.
“When you’re meeting with parents dealing with a child who’s been bullied not only at school but also when they come home at night, it doesn’t feel particularly free for that kid living their life day-to-day.” WATCH | Australia issues social media ban for kids under 16:
Australia issues social media ban for kids under 16
Australia has issued a ban on social media for kids under 16, passing a world-first law through its Parliament. Many parents are celebrating the move, but social media companies say it’s been rushed.
Miller’s bill comes as several other nations consider restricting children’s access to social media just days before discussions at G7 in France where this issue is also expected.Australia became the first country late last year to enforce an age requirement for having accounts on Tik Tok, You Tube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.
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