In a significant step to safeguard young people from the documented dangers of social media, the Canadian government has introduced legislation that would prohibit children under 16 from creating accounts on major social media platforms.
The proposed Safe Social Media Act, introduced in the House of Commons on Wednesday by Culture Minister Marc Miller, would ban children under the age of 16 from creating social media accounts on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and similar platforms.
The move comes amid mounting evidence linking heavy social media use to increased rates of anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, and distorted body image among youth.
Canadian officials cited studies showing that platforms designed to maximize engagement often exploit the vulnerabilities of adolescent brains still developing impulse control and judgment.
The legislation requires platforms to implement age-verification systems and to delete any existing accounts belonging to users under 16.
Under the bill, social media companies would be required to conduct risk assessments and take concrete steps to mitigate harms to young users. This includes limiting addictive design features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay videos, and personalized algorithmic feeds that target children.
Platforms must also provide robust tools for reporting harmful content, blocking users, and protecting against material that promotes self-harm, eating disorders, bullying, hate speech, violence, or the sexual exploitation of minors.
The legislation would create a new Digital Safety Commission of Canada to oversee enforcement. Companies that fail to comply could face significant penalties of up to $10 million or 3% of their global annual revenue, whichever is greater.
Adult-oriented websites, particularly pornography services, would face even stricter rules with very limited exemptions. The bill excludes gaming platforms such as Roblox and AI chatbots from the under-16 ban but still requires them to meet certain safety standards.
The Safe Social Media Act also mandates that platforms submit and publicly disclose detailed “Digital Safety Plans” outlining how they will protect young users.
The Canadian proposal aligns with a broader global trend of governments stepping in to protect children. Last year, Australia became the first country to ban social media for teens under 16, though the law’s effects remain mixed.
Australia’s online safety regulator, eSafety, reported in March that while social media platforms had taken “some steps” to comply with the country’s ban on users under 16, a “substantial number of children” still retained accounts on the restricted platforms.
The compliance update revealed that approximately 4.7 million under-16 accounts were removed or restricted by mid-January, with another 310,000 blocked in the following weeks.
However, eSafety expressed concerns over ongoing gaps, including weak age verification, poor reporting systems, and practices that allowed children to repeatedly attempt age checks until they gained access. The regulator is now investigating major platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube — for potential noncompliance.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, both France’s National Assembly and the Senate approved a bill that would prohibit children under 15 from using major social media platforms. The measure also includes a ban on mobile phones in high schools. If finalized, the restrictions are expected to take effect in September, making France the first European country to impose such limits.
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said last year he would push for a ban on social media for children under age 15 after “a senseless wave of violence” he attributed to social media use that included the stabbing of a teacher by a 14-year-old boy.
“I am banning social media for children under 15,” Macron wrote in a social media post on June 10, 2025. “Platforms have the ability to verify age. Do it.”
Closer to home, Catholic leaders in the United States are voicing strong support for similar protections. The bishops of Minnesota recently praised state legislation limiting social media’s addictive features for children under 16, including infinite scrolling, algorithmic feeds, and push notifications.
In a statement, the bishops highlighted how such measures promote healthier habits and allow young people to engage more fully with family, faith, and real-world relationships.
“These restrictions will mean happier kids who are less anxious, less worried, and more focused on the present moment,” a spokesperson for the Minnesota Catholic Conference noted.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.