Canada introduces legislation to ban under-16s from social media without safety safeguards
Summary
Canada has introduced legislation to ban children under 16 from social media unless platforms implement sufficient safety safeguards. The bill covers seven types of harmful content, requires age verification, and exempts adult-content platforms from any exemptions. It also creates a digital safety commission (setup up to 18 months) and imposes crisis intervention duties on AI chatbot companies. The move follows Australia's under-16 ban, which revoked access to about 4.7 million child-identified accounts.
Source
bskyCanada introduces legislation to ban under-16s from social media without safety safeguardsbriefly.coKey quotes
· 5 pulledThe legislation would ban children younger than 16 from social media accounts unless companies demonstrate sufficient platform safeguards.
Platforms could receive exemptions if they meet criteria to be announced later, and a digital safety commission would be created, with regulator setup potentially taking up to 18 months.
The rules cover seven harmful content types, including self-harm inducement, violence incitement, hate fomentation, and non-consensual intimate images, and would require age verification.
Adult-content platforms would not qualify for exemptions.
The framework also imposes a duty to act responsibly on AI chatbot companies, including crisis intervention protocols.
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