Canada has introduced legislation that would prohibit anyone under 16 from having social media accounts. The Safe Social Media Act also sets new rules for platforms and AI chatbots.
The bill was introduced by Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture. It requires social media services to design safer products for children and remove deepfakes along with content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor. Platforms must add labels for AI content, provide clear reporting tools for harmful material and offer user blocking features. AI chatbot services face separate requirements to reduce risks of communicating harmful content and to implement emergency measures during crises. Miller noted that chatbots are not as well-studied as social media platforms and do not share the same social role. The Digital Safety Commission of Canada will set further details and can grant exemptions to platforms with sufficient child safeguards. Canada joins Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia in restricting social media access for teenagers.
