Canada Mulls Social Media Ban for Under-16s
The proposed legislation — listed under the titles the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act — would also take direct aim at the growing harms posed by artificial intelligence chatbots, according to the report.
"I think it's obvious why it's priority. Kids are dying," Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller told reporters on his way into a Cabinet meeting.
Miller, who is spearheading the bill alongside Justice Minister Sean Fraser, stopped short of confirming the legislation's full contents ahead of its formal introduction 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.
Fraser, for his part, pushed back firmly against anticipated criticism that the bill could erode civil liberties.
"You don't have to give up your freedoms in order to ensure people can live safely in a society," he said.
Addressing the profound shift in how young children now navigate the digital world, Fraser said, "We're seeing increasingly generation of young people who were not introduced to social media when they were an adult going through university and into their professional; we are seeing kids who are from the moment they are 4-5 years old, sometimes even younger," adding that "it's incumbent on governments to recognize that, as society changes, as technological adoption increases, that we are respectful with people's rights, but at the same time that we can make moves to address modern challenges."
The move arrives after a previous attempt under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau collapsed when his online harms bill was abandoned following the prorogation of parliament in early 2025.
Not everyone is rallying behind the government's approach. Conservative MP Kevin Waugh signaled measured skepticism, arguing that parental responsibility must remain central to any solution.
"We gotta teach the parents to parent," he said.
The proposed legislation places Canada among a growing number of nations tightening minors' access to online platforms, and arrives just ahead of the G7 summit in France, where digital child safety is expected to feature prominently on the agenda.
Across Europe, momentum is building to shield young people from the documented mental health toll of social media platforms. Australia led the charge last year with what is broadly regarded as the world's first nationwide social media ban for users under 16, covering major platforms including Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.
As Canada gravitates closer to its European allies on this issue, Wednesday's tabling signals Ottawa's intent to carve out its own made-in-Canada framework for protecting children in an increasingly perilous digital age.
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