*Marc Miller, Canada’s Culture Minister, justifies the country’s proposed ban on social media for under 16, stating ‘we are failing our children’… social media platforms and AI chatbots do not support healthy childhood development, and have become a source of anxiety, isolation, depression, and a range of other mental health challenges for several young Canadians
Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect
The Canadian Government is seeking to ban social media accounts for children under 16 with a new bill in the North American continent.
ConsumerConnect reports Canada also wants to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots, with the establishment of a new industry regulator called the “Digital Safety Commission of Canada”.
NCC unveils strategies to address increasing data demand, limited infrastructure capacity
The Canadian bill’s introduction in the parliament is reportedly coming after Australia December 2025 became the world’s first country to ban social media for children under 16.
Following suit, the Canadian Government has introduced a legislation on digital safety that could prohibit children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts.
The government introduced the bill in the North American country’s parliament Wednesday, June 10, 2026, though giving exemptions to companies that could prove their platforms meet certain safety standards for young and mature consumers.
The Canadian authorities this noted that criteria for what the exemptions would entail is slated to be announced at a later date, agency report said.
Minister: ‘We are failing our children’
Lamenting the health impact of early exposure of children to the use of social media platforms and AI chatbots, Marc Miller, Culture Minister of Canada, declared: “We are failing our children. Enough is enough.”
Miller also said: “We need basic protection in place.”
Highlights of Canada’s new digital safety bill
The Canadian Government new digital safety bill consists of seven categories of harmful content, report stated.
These include the following:
- Content that sexually victimises a child or revictimises 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.
Despite the seriousness attached to the introduction of the new bill, report indicated that the proposed digital safety legislation could take a year to pass, Reuters report said, citing government officials at a technical briefing held in the country.
Besides, the fresh bill provides for the establishment of a new industry regulator, christened the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, to enforce the new legislation and ensure compliance by all stakeholders in the digital ecosystem.
The government disclosed the new regulator would also set safety requirements for AI chatbots, including child-focused risk mitigation.
Government officials equally said that once the parliament passes the legislation, it would take 18 months to fully establish the digital regulator.
Meanwhile, report has indicated that companies could face penalties of three percent of global revenue, or about 10 million Canadian Dollars (about €6.2 million, $7.2 million), whichever is higher, if they fail to comply with this new policy directive on digital safety for under 16 children.
Social media, AI chatbots ‘source of mental health challenges’ for children?
In regard to further reasons for government’s proactive step to introduce new regulation, it was gathered that the proposed legislation came weeks after families affected by one of the country’s worst mass shootings February this year, filed lawsuits against OpenAI, and Sam Altman, the firm’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The affected families accused the company of knowing that the alleged killer was planning the attack on ChatGPT, but did not caution the Police, according to report.
Sequel to the reported mass shooting incident, Canadian Culture Minister Miller remarked: “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.”
The Minister further stated: “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.”