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In a nutshell: Another country is joining the rapidly growing list of nations to ban social media use among children. Canada has introduced proposed legislation that would prevent anyone younger than 16 from having accounts on these services, though there is a workaround for the tech firms covered by the rules.
Bill C-34, also known as the Safe Social Media Act, would make social media services and some AI chatbot providers responsible for protecting children from online harms. The Canadian government says the aim is to shift the burden away from parents and onto companies designing platforms that keep young users scrolling.
The bill would create a new Digital Safety Commission of Canada to enforce the rules, issue compliance orders, and impose penalties. Platforms would have to assess and mitigate risks, publish safety plans, give users clearer ways to flag harmful content and block others. They would also have to reduce children's exposure to seven categories of harmful material, including content that sexually exploits children, promotes self-harm, enables bullying, foments hatred, incites violence, or supports terrorism and violent extremism.
