Australia has enacted a ban on social media for children under 16, while other countries are working on similar restrictions.Manuel Ausloos/Reuters
Ottawa is planning to propose a ban on social media for children under 16 as part of an online harms bill to be introduced Wednesday, but platforms that meet new safety standards may be able to opt back in, according to a source familiar with the forthcoming bill.
The long-awaited online harms bill is expected to also include a requirement for companies to mitigate harmful content.
This would include action to deal with artificial-intelligence chatbots that advocates have been calling on the government to regulate. Advocates and families have expressed concern that the chatbots, programmed to behave like companions, have coached some children on suicide and how to mask eating disorders.
The Globe and Mail is not naming the source as they are not authorized to speak publicly about the bill.
The bill is also expected to revive requirements on platforms in previous versions of the bill to swiftly remove child sexual abuse material, and posts encouraging children to self harm.
Ottawa has no choice but to act on teen social media use, minister says
The social media ban for children under 16 mirrors earlier action in Australia. But research shows that many children have evaded the restrictions and are still accessing social media.
A new Canadian digital regulator will be established by the bill. The regulator would set standards for social media platforms in order to mitigate harms to children. Companies that have taken steps to meet such standards could apply to have children under 16 allowed back on their platforms if they have made the required improvements.
The bill, to be shepherded through the Commons by Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller, is also expected to include protocols to make AI companies report to law enforcement in the case of credible threats of violence, including suicide.
The mass school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., in February led to AI Minister Evan Solomon summoning executives of ChatGPT maker OpenAI. It had emerged that the shooter’s posts had been flagged for discussing scenarios involving gun violence, but this was not ultimately reported to police.