Canada Proposes Social Media Ban for Children Under 16 in New Bill

Based on coverage from News18, CBC, CBC, Livemint, The Globe and Mail, and MobileSyrup.

Ottawa is preparing to table a major digital safety bill that could bar kids under 16 from using social media across Canada, while also tightening rules around online harms and certain AI chatbots. Multiple outlets report the legislation is expected in Parliament on Wednesday, but the government is keeping details under wraps until it’s introduced.

Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller, who’s expected to steer the bill through the House of Commons, framed it bluntly on Tuesday: “Kids are dying.”

Canada social media ban under 16

The Globe and Mail reports the government plans a nationwide social media ban for children under 16 as part of a sweeping package on digital safety. Global News also reports the same basic plan: a ban tied to a broader online harms bill expected Wednesday.

One key twist, according to the Globe and Mail: platforms could potentially earn the ability to let under-16 users back on by meeting new safety standards. In other words, the ban may be designed as a default setting, with an “opt back in” route for companies that can show they’ve made changes.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser and Miller have not confirmed what’s in the bill, citing confidentiality rules before tabling.

New federal digital regulator and safety standards

A central piece, as described by the Globe and Mail, is a new digital regulator that would set safety standards for online platforms. Companies that comply could apply for exemptions that would allow younger teens to use their services.

That regulator model matters because it shifts the focus away from parents constantly policing screens and toward platforms having to prove they’re building safer products in the first place.

Emma Duerden, a Western University professor and Canada Research Chair focused on neuroscience and learning disorders, told CBC the developing brain is especially vulnerable to endless-scroll designs and algorithm-fed content. She said the response she’s seen from parents to restrictions has been “overwhelmingly positive,” arguing many families want help that goes beyond day-to-day phone monitoring.

Online harms rules Ottawa wants revived

Reports say the bill is also expected to revive pieces of the Liberal government’s earlier online harms push, which died when Parliament was prorogued in early 2025.

According to the reporting, the revived measures would require platforms to move quickly to remove child sexual abuse material and reduce children’s exposure to content encouraging self-harm. The earlier attempt also included Criminal Code and Canadian Human Rights Act amendments targeting a range of harmful content, including bullying of children and hate speech.

That earlier package was politically divisive. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre previously argued it could chill free speech and that harms like bullying should be handled by police rather than, as he put it, a new bureaucracy. Fraser pushed back this week, saying safety measures don’t have to come at the cost of freedoms, especially for kids being bullied beyond the schoolyard.

AI chatbots and Tumbler Ridge shooting

This bill is also expected to go beyond social media and take aim at risks from AI chatbots, particularly “digital companion” style tools. The Globe and Mail reports advocates and families have raised alarms about chatbots allegedly coaching vulnerable kids on suicide or advising how to conceal eating disorders.

One proposed requirement would push AI companies to be more transparent about the thresholds they use to decide whether to alert law enforcement when someone expresses intent to harm themselves or others.

The issue sharpened after the February school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. The Globe and Mail reports conversations between the shooter and OpenAI were flagged internally because they involved gun-violence scenarios, but were not ultimately reported to police. Separately, reporting says AI Minister Evan Solomon summoned OpenAI executives after that case surfaced.

Privacy, enforcement, and teen pushback

Outside Ottawa, there’s already skepticism about whether a ban can work without creating new problems.

London, Ont., teens told CBC they doubt a ban will stop determined teenagers, who often find ways around age checks. Beal Secondary student Keirah Buckley said social media helped her connect during COVID, but she also described today’s feeds as “consumerist and violent,” including graphic content. Several students argued the better fix is forcing platforms to change algorithms and moderation, rather than cutting teens off entirely.

Parents are split, too. Jamieson Roberts, a father in London, told CBC he worries age verification could become a privacy “Trojan Horse,” pushing kids and families to hand over even more personal data to companies that already monetize it.

Internationally, the direction of travel is clear. Australia set a minimum age of 16 for accounts on major platforms last year, and the issue is expected to come up around the G7 in France. What Canada proposes Wednesday will help answer the big questions Canadians are already asking: what counts as “social media,” how age checks would work, what the new regulator can actually enforce, and whether the burden really shifts from families to the platforms.

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