Canada moves to ban anyone under 16 from social media despite backlash in UK and Australia

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Canada’s Liberal government has introduced new legislation that would ban children under 16 from using social media, as countries around the world continue to crack down on kids’ access to major online platforms.

The new Safe Social Media Act would force social media companies to stop 16-year-olds and younger from signing up or using accounts unless the companies can demonstrate their platforms are safe. They’d need to meet updated safety requirements to allow younger users.

This new law would oversee AI chatbots, specifically those designed to seem like real people in conversations. While there won’t be a complete ban on children using these chatbots, Culture Minister Marc Miller emphasized that they can still be valuable tools for learning.

The proposed law would establish a new agency, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, to oversee and enforce online safety rules. Companies that don’t follow these rules could be fined up to 3% of their worldwide income or $10 million Canadian dollars, whichever is higher.

This law focuses on seven types of dangerous online content, such as posts that encourage self-harm, promote violence or hatred, or share private images without consent. Online platforms would have to take down certain content very quickly, within 24 hours.

Privacy experts warn over age-gating

The proposed plan is already causing worry in Canada, particularly regarding how businesses would confirm users’ ages.

Michael Geist, a law professor and digital policy expert at the University of Ottawa, expressed significant concerns to the Toronto Sun about the ban, suggesting it could lead to websites routinely requiring users to prove their age.

“While the government is likely to say this is a ‘temporary measure’ that the companies will be able to basically opt out of so long as they meet certain standards, that is years away,” Geist said. “Once you have built this infrastructure and collected a bunch of this data, there’s really no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.”

Geist suggests it’s quite possible that Canada could move towards an internet where you’d need to provide identification to use many websites.

Jay Goldberg of the Consumer Choice Centre also criticized the proposal, saying Canada’s social media ban is the wrong approach and warning that the privacy implications should worry Canadians.

He highlighted Australia’s recent ban on social media for users under 16, noting that while it led to five million accounts being deactivated, research indicates at least 20% of young people have already returned to these platforms using methods like VPNs.

While teens might still find ways to use social media even with restrictions, completely blocking access can be really damaging for those who follow the rules. It can cut them off from important support networks, group conversations, and ways to connect with friends and family who live far away, according to Goldberg.

Age checks have already sparked backlash elsewhere

Canada’s plan for age verification follows similar attempts elsewhere that have faced criticism. For example, in the UK, one age-check system caused an uproar when it asked a heavily tattooed man to uncover his face, mistakenly identifying his tattoos as a mask.

Gamers also found ways to bypass UK checks using Norman Reedus’ face from Death Stranding, while Australia’s ban affected major platforms including Kick, effectively blocking children from the streaming site in its own home country.

The Liberal government says the bill is aimed at protecting young people online, but the proposal is now entering the same debate that has hit the UK and Australia: whether age checks can actually keep kids safe without creating new privacy and enforcement problems.

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2026-06-11 16:48