Canada introduces Bill to restrict social media access for under-16s

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - June 11, 2026 03:22 pm IST - Ottawa Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller. | Photo Credit: AP Canada has introduced a Digital Safety Bill that would restrict access to social media platforms for children under the age of 16, while allowing companies to seek exemptions if they can demonstrate adequate safeguards for young users. Bill C-34, introduced on Wednesday (June 10, 2026) by Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller, is the latest attempt by the Canadian government to create a legal framework to address online harms. “The proposed legislation would also regulate artificial intelligence chatbot services, such as ChatGPT, and introduce new safety requirements for online platforms,” according to an official statement. “While laws exist in Canada to respond once harm has occurred, there is currently little that requires online services to prevent harm in the first place,” the statement said. “The proposed Safe Social Media Act aims to change that by ensuring social media services and AI chatbot providers are responsible for addressing harm before it occurs,” it said. The move places Canada among a growing number of countries seeking to strengthen online protections for children. Australia remains the only country to have enacted a nationwide law restricting social media access for under-16s, while countries including the U.K., France, Greece, Spain and Malaysia have considered, proposed or developed similar measures aimed at improving children's online safety. If passed, the Canadian legislation would also place responsibility on websites to protect children from harmful content, including cyberbullying or harassment carried out through digital platforms. It would make online services more accountable and transparent by introducing new safety requirements for social media services and AI chatbot services, according to the official statement. “It would include an age restriction preventing children under 16 from having accounts on social media services, with a pathway for companies to seek exemptions if they can demonstrate that they have put in place sufficient safeguards for children,” it said. According to the Canadian government's statement, the new requirements would also place children's safety at the centre of product design, including measures aimed at reducing young users' exposure to certain content and high-risk interactions. Government briefing documents cited by local media reports said the Bill would create a Digital Safety Commission of Canada to oversee compliance with the new rules. Companies found in violation of the legislation could face penalties of up to CAD 10 million or 3% of their global revenue, whichever is higher. The legislation follows years of debate in Canada over how to regulate online harms. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised such legislation during the 2021 election campaign and a Bill was introduced in 2024. However, that legislation failed to pass Parliament before the 2025 election. The Bill was also met with opposition, including from the Conservatives, who argued that some of its Criminal Code provisions could have a chilling effect on free speech, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Mr. Miller said on Wednesday (June 10, 2026) that previous versions of the legislation had represented an "overreach". He added: "There were, in my mind, legitimate criticisms about inserting criminal repercussions (into the previous legislation)." Canada / children / politics / social networking Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging int

Canada introduces Bill to restrict social media access for under-16s

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Canada introduces Bill to restrict social media access for under-16s

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