Canada Introduces Digital Safety Bill, May Ban Social Media for Under-16s

The government in Canada has introduced a legislation on digital safety that could prohibit children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts.

The bill, which was introduced in the country's parliament on Wednesday, gives exemptions to companies that can prove their platforms meet certain safety standards.

The criteria for what the exemptions entail is slated to be announced at a later date.

"We are failing our children. Enough is enough," Canada's culture minister, Marc Miller, said.

"We need basic protection in place," he added.

What is in Canada's new digital safety bill?

The bill encompasses seven categories of harmful content, which include:

Content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor

Content that induces children to harm themselves

Content used to bully a child

Content that incites violence

Content that foments hatred

Terrorism or violent extremist content

Non-consensual intimate images.

The legislation could take a year to pass, Reuters reported, citing government officials at a technical briefing.

The bill provides for the establishment of a new regulator — called the Digital Safety Commission of Canada — to enforce the new legislation and ensure compliance.

The regulator would also set safety requirements for AI chatbots, including child-focused risk mitigation.

Government officials said that once the legislation is passed, it would take 18 months to set up the digital regulator.

Companies could face penalties of 3% of global revenue or up to 10 million Canadian dollars (about €6.2 million, $7.2 million), whichever is higher, if they fail to comply.

Social media, AI chatbots 'source of mental health challenges' for children

The Canadian bill's introduction in the parliament comes after Australia in December became the world's first nation to ban social media for children under 16.

The proposed legislation also comes weeks after families affected by one of the country's worst mass shootings in February, filed lawsuits against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman.

They accused the company of knowing that the alleged killer was planning the attack on ChatGPT but did not caution the ‌police.

"Social media platforms and ​AI chatbots are designed to capture attention. They do not support healthy childhood development and have become a source of anxiety, isolation, depression and a range ​of other mental health challenges for many young Canadians," Miller said.

"This legislation will ‌provide a safer environment for young Canadians and empower them to connect in-person, build friendships, focus in school, and learn real-world skills so they can thrive."

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah