Canada Proposes Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

Canada is moving toward a major new online safety law that would restrict children under 16 from using social media unless platforms can prove they meet government safety standards.

The proposal, introduced on June 10, 2026, would apply to major platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and other social media services. It would also create a new federal regulator, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, to oversee the rules and set safety standards.

The measure still needs to pass through Canada’s House of Commons and Senate before becoming law. If approved, it would place Canada among a growing group of countries trying to limit children’s access to social media because of concerns about mental health, addiction, cyberbullying, harmful content, and distraction.

Marc Miller, Canada’s minister of Canadian identity and culture, said the government believes stronger protections are needed.

“The safety of children can’t be an afterthought,” Miller said.

What Canada Is Proposing

The proposal, known as the Safe Social Media Act, would require users to verify that they are at least 16 before accessing certain social media platforms.

Platforms may be able to avoid a full restriction if they meet safety standards set by the new regulator. Government officials said those standards would be defined later by the Digital Safety Commission of Canada.

The bill would also give the regulator authority over certain AI chatbot safety issues. According to officials, the goal is to set standards for how companies handle risks connected to chatbot use, including situations involving vulnerable users or crisis-related conversations.

Companies that fail to follow the rules could face penalties of 3% of global revenue or up to C$10 million, whichever is greater.

Why Canada Is Acting Now

Canadian officials say social media has become a serious concern for children and teenagers.

The government has pointed to anxiety, isolation, depression, online addiction, distraction in school, and exposure to harmful content as reasons for the proposed law.

Miller argued that social media platforms and AI chatbots are designed to capture attention and that this can affect healthy childhood development.

The proposal comes as many countries are reconsidering whether children should have unrestricted access to online platforms that were built primarily for adult users and advertising-driven engagement.

Part of a Global Trend

Canada’s plan follows similar efforts in other countries.

Australia became the first country to pass a nationwide under-16 social media ban in 2024. Under that law, companies can face large fines if they fail to disable underage accounts. Australian officials have said platforms deactivated millions of accounts belonging to underage users after the law took effect.

Other countries, including Britain, France, Greece, Spain, Denmark, Poland, Malaysia, South Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, and Thailand, have considered or introduced different types of restrictions on children’s social media use.

The details vary by country. Some proposals focus on age verification. Others focus on platform safety duties, school distraction, harmful content, or parental control tools.

But the direction is similar: governments are increasingly asking whether children should have open access to social media by default.

Privacy Concerns Remain

The proposal is already raising questions about privacy and civil liberties.

Age verification usually requires some way to prove who a user is. Critics worry that this could lead to surveillance, collection of sensitive data, or greater risks if personal information is hacked.

Civil liberties groups have criticized similar proposals in the past, arguing that the cure may create new problems. Canada’s earlier attempt to regulate online harms failed in 2024 after concerns that it could limit freedom of expression.

Some technology policy experts say restricting children from social media may not be enough if the platforms themselves remain unhealthy for all users.

Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa professor who studies technology regulation, warned that excluding young users rather than improving the internet more broadly “feels like a Band-Aid solution.”

Tech Companies Respond

Major technology companies are reviewing the proposal.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said it wants safe online experiences for young people but raised concerns about broad social media bans and about making individual platforms responsible for age verification.

A Meta spokeswoman said social media bans can be “counterproductive” and argued that rules should apply evenly across the many apps teenagers use.

Google, which owns YouTube, said it is willing to work with the Canadian government to develop higher safety standards so parents have more confidence and control.

Other platforms, including TikTok, X, and Snapchat, did not immediately respond in some reports.

AI Chatbots Are Also Included

One major difference between Canada’s proposal and some other laws is that it also addresses AI chatbots.

The bill would require companies behind AI chatbot systems to follow safety standards set by the new regulator. Officials said the goal is to make sure companies act responsibly and have proper protections in place.

The AI portion of the bill comes at a time when governments are increasingly concerned about how chatbots interact with children, teenagers, and vulnerable users.

While the social media age restriction may get the most attention, the AI chatbot rules could become an important part of the larger debate over digital safety.

Lessons From Australia

Canada is expected to watch Australia closely.

Australia’s under-16 social media ban was the first of its kind and has already led to millions of underage accounts being disabled. But the law has also drawn criticism.

Some critics say children may still find ways around the ban. Others worry that young users may move from mainstream platforms with some safeguards to smaller, less secure spaces online.

A report from Australia’s eSafety commissioner found that some children continued to access social media accounts even after the ban, though access appeared to decline.

Canadian officials have said they are trying to learn from Australia’s experience as they design their own system.

What This Means for Parents

For parents, the Canadian proposal highlights a larger issue: governments are now stepping into a conversation many families have been dealing with privately for years.

How much online access is too much?

At what age should children be on social media?

Can platforms be trusted to protect young users?

Are parental controls enough?

Even if Canada’s law takes time to pass, the direction is clear. Social media is no longer being treated as a harmless default for children. Lawmakers, educators, and parents are increasingly seeing it as something that requires strong limits.

The Bigger Technology Conversation

The Canadian proposal is not only about one country or one law.

It is part of a larger shift in how society thinks about children, screens, phones, social media, and attention. For years, the internet expanded faster than the rules around it. Children entered platforms built for adults, and parents were often left to manage the results on their own.

Now governments are trying to catch up.

The debate will not be simple. Child safety, privacy, freedom of expression, age verification, platform responsibility, and parental choice all matter. But the proposal shows that the question has changed.

The issue is no longer whether children use social media.

The issue is whether they should have access before platforms prove they are safe.

The Bottom Line

Canada’s proposed under-16 social media restriction is another sign that countries around the world are rethinking children’s access to digital platforms.

The bill would create a new regulator, require age verification, set safety standards for platforms, and add rules for AI chatbots. Supporters say it is needed to protect children. Critics worry about privacy, surveillance, and whether bans solve the deeper problem.

For families, the story is a reminder that technology access should not be automatic. Whether the solution comes from government, parents, schools, or safer devices, the goal is the same: children need real protection in a digital world that was not built with them in mind.