Canada follows Australia, which became the first country to ban social media for under-16s
Canada has unveiled a sweeping new digital safety bill that would ban social media for children under 16 unless platforms meet strict government-approved safety standards.
The proposal, introduced on Wednesday, also targets AI chatbots by creating a new digital regulator to set and enforce online safety rules.
Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to $7.2 million or 3% of their global revenue, whichever is higher.
Marc Miller, minister of Canadian identity and culture, says the move is designed to protect young people from anxiety, depression, isolation, and other mental health risks linked to addictive online platforms.
The legislation comes weeks after families of victims of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, which killed nine people, mostly children, sued OpenAI. They allege that the shooter was planning the attack and interacted with ChatGPT about it, but the company failed to alert police about the warning signs.
Canada follows Australia, which became the first country to ban social media for under-16s. If passed, the new law would make it one of the world’s toughest regulators of both social media and AI.