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The federal government has introduced legislation that, among other things, would restrict access to social media platforms for kids under the age of 16.
The bill, introduced Wednesday by Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller, is the latest attempt by the Liberals to create some form of law that addresses online harms.
If passed, it would also put responsibility on websites to protect children from harmful content, including cyberbullying.
How the law would be enforced in practice still needs to be worked out, but here’s what we know so far.
Why are they doing this now?
The Liberals have promised some form of legislation to govern social media and online harms for years.
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau promised the legislation during the 2021 election campaign and a bill was put forward in 2024.
Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller tabled a bill on Wednesday restricting Canadian kids from accessing social media if they are under the age of 16. Companies will be permitted to return access to young users if they can prove compliance with safety standards. Miller joins Power & Politics to discuss the bill, which also includes new rules for AI chatbots.
But that legislation didn’t make it through Parliament before the 2025 election. The bill was also met with some opposition — including from the Conservatives — who said its Criminal Code provisions would have a chilling effect on free speech.
Miller said Wednesday that previous iterations of the legislation were an “overreach.”
“There were, in my mind, legitimate criticisms about inserting criminal repercussions [into the previous legislation],” he said.
How will this be enforced?
The bill proposes to set up a Digital Safety Commission that would be responsible for enforcing the law.
The independent body would be able to monitor sites for compliance and hear complaints from Canadians when they believe there has been a violation.
When asked about the potential for kids to circumvent the government’s proposed social media restrictions for young Canadians, Culture Minister Marc Miller said ‘that is why it was so key to have a commission able to interact with industry and able to give some teeth to this law so we just didn’t hope and pray that this would be enforced.’
The commission would be able to conduct audits, issue compliance orders and issue fines when there is a violation.
A fine would be either three per cent of a company’s global revenue or $10 million, whichever is greater. Companies could face multiple penalties for repeated violations.
How will social media companies comply?
It is not yet clear how the ban will function. Companies will be responsible for deciding how they implement the ban and the commission will be responsible for overseeing regulations and guidance.
Companies could be exempt if they implement what officials briefing reporters called adequate safeguards to protect children.
It’s not clear what those safeguards would be, but the exemptions would be laid out in the regulations.
When asked why the government did not outright ban social media for children under the age of 16, Culture Minister Marc Miller said ‘there’s part of my brain that agrees with it, but I think we know that social media can be made safe by design.’ He added that there is an important role for both parents and provincial governments to play.
What types of social media are covered?
Miller rhymed off a few examples of what will be covered by the bill, specifically naming Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) and Snapchat.
The bill itself defines social media as websites or apps that “facilitate interprovincial or international online communication among users of the website or application by enabling them to access and share content.”
What about AI chatbots?
There won’t be a ban for kids under 16 from using chatbots, but there are other regulations being proposed to govern them.
AI chatbots will need measures to respond when a user expresses ideas of suicide or self harm or an intention to commit an act that could cause death or serious bodily harm to an individual, said officials. The bill would not require the companies behind the chatbots to report those interactions to police.
Culture Minister Marc Miller said ‘I’m not going to sit here and pretend today that there is one rapid solution that would have prevented’ the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., shooting, ‘but I do think this law could have made a difference.’ He said the proposed Digital Safety Act will ‘make an onerous requirement on chatbots to interact in a way that is safe.’
When will all this take effect?
The bill will need to pass both houses of Parliament before it becomes law.
Miller said the social media ban for kids will come into effect as soon as it receives royal assent.
But it will take time for the commission to be established. Officials estimated it could take up to 18 months after the bill becomes law for the regulator to be stood up.
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