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Canada’s proposed “social media ban”: What parents should know

You’ve probably heard something about the Safe Social Media Act (Bill C-34). Some headlines might lead you to believe it’s a blanket ban that stops kids from accessing social media — but that's not true. It wouldn't be a sweeping ban: it would be an age delay for youth under 16 on certain social media platforms.

Bill C-34 proposes several measures that could help protect children online, including requiring some social media platforms to take measures to prevent youth under 16 from holding accounts. Under this proposal, if these platforms have adequate safeguards for kids, they may be exempt from age restrictions.

At the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P), we’ve been calling on governments to regulate tech platforms and prioritize children's safety online for over 20 years. We know that children are sexually victimized every day because we operate Cybertip.ca, Canada's tipline to report the online sexual exploitation of children, and NeedHelpNow.ca, a support service for youth experiencing online sexual victimization.

If passed into law, the Safe Social Media Act will be an important first step to improving online spaces for our children. While more details about how this is going to work will become clearer over time, we’re answering some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received about the Bill in its current form.

How would this proposal help parents protect their kids?

Parents are the first line of defense when it comes to protecting children, but you can’t do it alone. You’re outmatched against billion-dollar companies and corporations who prioritize profit over child safety.

Even when you set rules or boundaries at home, it’s incredibly challenging to compete with digital environments that are designed and optimized to keep children hooked and engaged. You have little to no control over algorithm recommendations, your child’s online experience, and depending on the platform, have very limited control over who can connect with your children.

Many safety measures already exist to help protect children offline like movie ratings, age requirements when purchasing alcohol or tobacco, and a minimum age for getting a driver’s license. These rules don’t replace parenting; they complement it as a part of a broad system of protections we afford youth while they build critical thinking skills, resilience, and maturity. Online safety should be no different. Platforms and governments should also be expected to ensure online environments don’t create or pose unnecessary risks to begin with.

This law wouldn't replace parental involvement, but it would support your work to reduce your child's risk online by creating a common set of rules and expectations for selected social media platforms to follow.

What risks do children face online?

Children’s safety in the online world remains largely unregulated in Canada, and these spaces weren’t created with a child’s safety in mind. Because of this, many children are exposed to harmful content and connected to individuals with bad intentions.

C3P operates Cybertip.ca, Canada’s tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children. We also operate NeedHelpNow.ca, a service dedicated to supporting youth who have experienced online harm. Through our extensive work supporting victims, survivors, and families, here are some of the harms we’ve identified in more recent years:

  • Sextortion: Children as young as 12 are being sextorted online for sexual images or money. Sometimes, a youth can even be sextorted with AI-generated images. This is a problem being flagged across the country.
  • Exposure to gore and violence: Algorithms and posts by strangers are exposing youth to real-world gore and violence on popular platforms. This includes things like police brutality, physical fights, and self-harm.
  • Coercion into dangerous behaviours: Reports from youth, particularly young girls, indicate that they’re being contacted online and coerced into dangerous behaviours. This can include self-harm, sexual acts, or harming animals.

The receipts are in: real harm is happening. Vigilant parental supervision alone can’t counteract platform design characteristics that can facilitate harm and the exploitation of youth.

We don’t know yet what specific platforms will fall under the scope of the Bill because more detailed regulations are coming, so it’s critical we stay informed and involved as it makes its way through the process of becoming law.

Is 16 an appropriate age for this restriction?

Adolescence marks an important period of brain development. Young people are still developing the skills needed to assess risk, manage impulses, and make informed decisions, all while being particularly sensitive to rewards, social feedback, and peer approval.

In the same way we have legislation in place for age minimums regarding purchasing alcohol and getting a driver’s license, implementing age-based protections for youth in online spaces can protect them from being exposed to harm.

Some research shows links between social media increasingly having a negative impact on youth in terms of their mental health, social behaviour, and emotional well-being. As online platforms are designed to capture and hold attention, it’s challenging for youth to recognize how dangerous these platforms can truly be.

A delay doesn’t mean that a young person will suddenly be ready for every online risk when they turn 16, but it will give them more time to develop the skills and resilience they need to navigate these spaces.

What could age assurance look like?

One component of Bill C-34 is age assurance (some people may call this age verification or age estimation) to prevent children under 16 from holding an account on certain social media platforms. If a platform has complied with taking adequate measures to ensure their users’ safety, they may be exempt from this age minimum.

The Canadian government hasn’t yet outlined what method or technology it wants platforms to use to enforce age assurance, but other countries have and can be used as examples for Canada to consider.

For example, Australia's legislation requires specific platforms to engage in reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 from holding accounts. This can include using different forms of age assurance methods, such as relying on a trusted third party to carry out the process. And this can also include continuously ensuring account holders are of age by using behavioural cues such as:

  • What videos they’re watching.
  • What they’re searching for on the platform.
  • What kind of content do they engage with the most.

This technique is similar to what some platforms already use to profile users for advertising.

As Bill C-34 moves through the legislative process, details of how age assurance would work should become clearer.

Is a social media delay used elsewhere?

In December 2025, Australia became the first country to roll out a social media age delay for youth under 16 on certain social media platforms. Since Australia took a stance, other countries have followed suit by promising or introducing their own legislation – like Canada.

Canada can learn from other countries and start the process of strengthening protections for children online, supporting parents like you who have been trying everything to keep your kids safe.