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.
Coverage by Political Leaning
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Notable Quotes
"Suffice to say, we will take all reasonable measures to make sure kids are safe in this country."
— Marc Miller , Politician
"We have seen the very serious consequences that online harms can have...The safety of children cannot be an afterthought."
— Marc Miller , Politician
"We have seen the very serious consequences that online harms can have. As technologies evolve, we must ensure our laws keep pace, because parents cannot face these challenges alone. The safety of children cannot be an afterthought. This legislation will introduce stronger responsibilities for online platforms to ensure their services are safe by design and include appropriate measures to keep children safe."
— Marc Miller , Politician
"Working on a quick analysis of Bill C-34, but initial reaction is that this is largely the original Online Harms Act (platforms only) + social media ban for under 16 + Bill S-209 (pornography and age verification) + expansion to AI chatbots + power to Digital Safety Commission."
— Michael Geist , Academic
"It’s obvious why it’s a priority. Kids are dying."
— Marc Miller , Politician
"ensure that we are being responsible when it comes to protecting kids in particular."
— Sean Fraser , Politician
"There’s a great realization in society that there are negative effects from social media use."
— Steven MacKinnon , Politician
"We’re going to take a really good look at this, we’re going talk to stakeholders."
— Jasraj Singh Hallan , Politician
"We’re very interested, including potentially working together with the federal government."
— Wab Kinew , Politician
"if Ottawa doesn’t act fast enough, her government will strengthen online protections for children."
— Susan Holt , Politician
"Chatbots are not as well-studied as the harm caused by social media platforms."
— Marc Miller , Politician
Key People
Conservative MP committed to scrutinizing the new bill.
Marc Miller is the Canadian Minister of Culture proposing a social media ban for minors.
Mark Carney is the Prime Minister of Canada.
University of Ottawa Law Professor.
Chief executive officer of OpenAI.
Justice Minister focused on protecting kids through new legislation.
Government House leader prioritizing new online safety legislation.
New Brunswick Premier calling for a federal ban on youth social media use.
Manitoba Premier advocating for children's safety online.
Tags
All Coverage
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.
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.
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.'
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.
The bill includes a new regulator and sweeping measures to curtail 'harmful content' online.
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