Canada proposes social media ban for under 16s with platform exemptions and AI chatbot rules

Canada introduces legislation to ban social media for children under 16

OTTAWA, June 10 (Reuters) - The Canadian government introduced a new digital safety bill on Wednesday that would ban social media for children under 16 with exemptions for platforms that meet certain safety standards, months after Australia enacted the world's first social media ban for young people. The bill also aims to make AI chatbots safer by setting up a digital regulator to establish ⁠safety standards, a government official said. Its introduction in Parliament comes weeks after families affected by one of the country's worst mass shootings sued OpenAI, alleging that the company knew the alleged killer was planning the attack on ChatGPT but did not warn police. In December, Australia became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16. A month after its ⁠law was introduced, social media companies collectively deactivated the accounts of nearly 5 million teenagers. France, Denmark and Poland are also considering tightening rules around social media use for children, while Greece in April announced ⁠it would ban access to those under the age of 15 from January 2027. Government officials in a technical briefing said it could take ⁠a year for the bill to pass and 18 months to set up the digital regulator once it does. Prime ⁠Minister Mark Carney has a slim majority in Parliament, which is due to break for summer recess soon. Reporting by Maria Cheng; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Mark Porter Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Canada announces bill banning social media for anyone under 16 - Engadget

The regulation also imposes new safety expectations on 'AI chatbot services.' Canada is joining Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia, in banning teenagers from using social media. The Safe Social Media Act introduced by Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, bans children under the age of 16 from having a social media account and introduces new regulatory expectations for social media services and AI platforms. Under the legislation, social media services are required to design their products to be safer for children. Platforms will also be expected to remove deepfakes and content that "sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor." The introduction of things like labels for AI content, clear methods for reporting harmful material and tools for blocking users will also be expected to prevent further exposure to harmful content. While social media is age-gated by the bill, AI chatbot services won't be. "Chatbots are not as well-studied as the harm caused by social media platforms," Miller said during the press conference announcing the bill. "They don't have the same social role." With that said, the Safe Social Media Act also includes language around "AI chatbot services," seemingly in response to OpenAI's handling of the Tumbler Ridge shooting. As part of the bill, AI platforms are expected to mitigate the risk of chatbots "communicating harmful content" and engaging in harmful behavior, while also introducing "emergency measures" for dealing with crisis situations. The details of what platforms are expected to provide beyond the 16-year-old age requirement will be set by the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, according to Miller, a newly formed commission created by a separate Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act. The commission will enforce regulations and also be capable of granting exemptions if they believe a platform maintains "sufficient safeguards" for children.

Canada proposes teen social media ban - with workaround for tech firms

Canada is proposing a social media ban for children and teenagers under the age of 16, mirroring a similar law passed in Australia late last year. But unlike Australia's law, tech firms could sidestep Canada's ban if they demonstrate they have policies to minimise harm to minors. The law includes sweeping measures to regulate AI chatbots and curtail "harmful content" online. It would create a regulator to ensure tech firms comply. Some free speech groups have warned it would expand censorship. It comes amid calls from parents and advocates to bolster children's safety online and as other countries - including the UK - eye similar bans. The law is being proposed ahead of the upcoming G7 summit in France next week, where world leaders are expected to discuss and issue statements on AI and protecting children from online harm. Canada's proposed law - the Safe Social Media Act - was put forward in the House of Commons on Wednesday by Culture Minister Marc Miller. Earlier in the week, Miller said passing a law that addresses online harms was a priority for the Canadian government because "kids are dying". "Suffice to say, we will take all reasonable measures to make sure kids are safe in this country," he told reporters. Pressure has been mounting on Canada to pass legislation on online safety after the previous Liberal government failed twice to implement one. Other countries have already enacted similar laws, including the UK with its Online Safety Act, as well as France and New Zealand. AI safety has been at the forefront in Canada after a deadly February mass school shooting in British Columbia, where the 18-year-old suspect was revealed to have used ChatGPT to discuss gun violence months before the attack. Eight people, including six young children, were killed. OpenAI has since come under fire for failing to report the suspect's account to police, prompting a written apology to the victims' families by CEO Sam Altman. There is no broad consensus, however, on whether Canada should pass legislation on online harms. Some free speech groups have argued the issue should be addressed within existing laws under Canada's criminal code. The text of the newly proposed Bill C-34 lists seven categories of "harmful content", which includes material bullying a child, or that foments hatred, or incites violence. The BBC contacted the Canadian justice and culture ministries seeking futher information on these criteria, but did not receive an immediate reply. The maximum penalty for a violation is the greater of $10m ($7m; £5m), or 3% of gross global revenue. The government says the law would create a new independent regulator, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada. Its members would be appointed by cabinet, according to briefing documents. Social media bans for teenagers are being considered by other countries, including the UK, with an announcement expected next week on a ban for those under the age of 16. In Greece, a ban for children under the age of 15 is set to take effect in January. Six months ago, Australia became the first country to ban access to social media for young teenagers and children, though it has since been criticised for not being effective. The law bars those under 16 from creating a new account on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. It also deactivated existing ones. Social media companies face fines of up to A$49.5m (US$32m, £25m) for serious or repeat breaches. The law mandates that firms take "reasonable steps" to keep kids off their platforms, and should use multiple age assurance technologies like IDs, face or voice recognition. But in a recent survey of parents by the Australian government, around 70% said their children were still on social media. Many also said their children were not asked by platforms to verify their age after the law was enacted. The Australian government has said it has opened five investigations into alleged non-compliance, including by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. Sara Austin, whose organisation Children First Canada has long advocated for an online harms law, said Canada's decision to include an exemption clause could be a positive as it offers an incentive for firms to enact better safety policies overall. This, she said, "will not only benefit children, but will also benefit all Canadians" using these platforms. Austin added that while Canada has lagged behind its peers on addressing online safety, she hopes the proposed law is an opportunity to set a precedent ahead of the G7 summit.

Canada moves to ban under-16s from social media, regulate AI

Montreal (Canada) (AFP) - Canada's culture minister on Wednesday introduced legislation that would ban children under 16 from having social media accounts and require AI chatbot services to limit production of harmful content. The proposed Digital Safety Act makes Canada the latest in a wave of countries cracking down on social media platforms over concerns of harm to children. "We have seen the very serious consequences that online harms can have...The safety of children cannot be an afterthought," said Culture Minister Marc Miller in a statement announcing the proposal. The legislation would ban social media accounts for children under 16 years old, the statement said, adding that there be an exemption "pathway" for companies if they can demonstrate "sufficient safeguards" for children. Social media services, including adult content platforms, would also face new requirements under the law to "mitigate risks associated with exposure" to various categories of harmful content and apply labels to synthetically generated content. The eventual regulations would be enforced by a Digital Safety Commission, with possible fines on companies not in compliance of up to three percent of their global revenue or CAD$10 million. "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," Health Minister Marjorie Michel said in a statement. Sachin Maharaj, an education professor at University of Ottawa, called the proposal "a step towards the right direction," with a "recognition that social media is associated with behavioral and social issues." "Obviously, kids will find their way around" restrictions, he told AFP. "But the real challenge is to change the way the apps work." AI rules In addition to the social media ban, the new law would also regulate increasingly ubiquitous AI chatbots by requiring companies to "mitigate the risk of the chatbot communicating harmful content." Companies would also face requirements for transparency around "reporting thresholds in crisis situations," such as when a user intends to harm themselves or another person. The issue has been particularly sensitive in Canada following a mass shooting in April that left nine people dead in the small mining town of Tumbler Ridge, including the shooter. OpenAI has faced intense criticism after it banned the shooter from its platform in June last year over the user's troubling conversations on ChatGPT, but did not report the account to Canadian police because it said it saw no evidence of an imminent attack. In December, Australia became the first country in the world to require TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other top sites to remove accounts held by under-16s or face heavy fines. Indonesia began enforcing its own social media ban for users under the age of 16 in March, while several European governments have announced their desire to make similar moves.

With chatbot regulation, Canada proposes a ban on social media for under 16s

With chatbot regulation, Canada proposes a ban on social media for under 16s The government of Canada announced today that it is mulling a ban on social media for children under 16, though unlike some other countries that have already introduced such a ban, Canada has said the social media platforms can remain servicing children if they can prove they are safe. In what's fast-becoming a global effort to protect kids from the dangers of social media, Canada believes "harms are intensifying" for young people in the form of "child sexual exploitation and cyberbullying to self-harm and mental health issues." To counteract this, Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister, has introduced Bill C-34, the "Safe Social Media Act." "We have seen the very serious consequences that online harms can have," said Miller. "As technologies evolve, we must ensure our laws keep pace, because parents cannot face these challenges alone. The safety of children cannot be an afterthought. This legislation will introduce stronger responsibilities for online platforms to ensure their services are safe by design and include appropriate measures to keep children safe." Over the last year or so, a number of countries have followed in the footsteps of Australia, that became the first country to impose a social media ban for under 16s. Britain, Denmark, France, Spain, Greece, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia are also in the process of developing similar bans, legislation that despite concerns regarding social media harms, has not yet been embraced in the U.S. where most of the countries that provide the technology are located. Canada's bill, which will need to be passed by Parliament before it is written into the law, also takes aim at artificial intelligence chatbots that themselves have come under scrutiny of late for their potential harms. While Canada isn't planning to ban such chatbots for kids, the legislation asks that companies build safety mechanisms into their services concerning how the chatbot builds relationships, how it responds to questions around self-harm, and how it mitigates the risk of the chatbot sending harmful content in general. Miller told CBC Canada that the reason chatbots won't see age restrictions is the technology is "evolving" and can be educational as well as posing dangers. "We're going to have to keep a close eye on it," he said.

Canada moves to ban social media for children under 16 and regulate AI chatbots

OTTAWA - The Canadian government introduced a digital safety bill on Wednesday that would ban social media for children under 16 with exemptions for platforms that meet certain safety standards, months after Australia enacted the world's first social media ban for young people. The bill also aims to make AI chatbots safer by setting up a digital regulator to establish safety standards, a government official said. Companies could face penalties of 3% of global revenue or up to 10 million Canadian dollars ($7.2 million), whichever is more, for failing to comply. "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," said Marc Miller, minister ⁠of Canadian identity and culture.

Canada introduces legislation to ban social media for children under 16, regulate AI chatbots

OTTAWA, June 10 (Reuters) - The Canadian government introduced a new digital safety bill on Wednesday that would ban social media for children under 16 with exemptions for platforms that meet certain safety standards, months after Australia enacted the world's first social media ban for young people. The bill also aims to make AI chatbots safer by setting up a digital regulator to establish safety standards, a government official said. Companies could face penalties of 3% of global revenue or up to C$10 million ($7.2 million), whichever is more, for failing to comply. "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," said Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister. "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." The bill's introduction in Parliament comes weeks after families affected by one of the country's worst mass shootings sued OpenAI, alleging that the company knew the alleged killer was planning the attack on ChatGPT but did not warn police. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In December, Australia became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16. A month after its law was introduced, social media companies collectively deactivated the accounts of nearly 5 million teenagers. Government officials in a technical briefing said it could take a year for the bill to pass and 18 months to set up the digital regulator once it does. A spokesperson for Google, which owns YouTube, said the company is committed to working with the federal government to establish higher safety standards for all platforms, so parents have the confidence and control to choose better, safer online experiences for their children. Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, and Elon Musk's X, formerly Twitter, and Snapchat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. France, Denmark and Poland are also considering tightening rules around social media use for children, while Greece in April announced it would ban access to those under the age of 15 from January 2027. Prime Minister Mark Carney has a slim majority in Parliament, which is due to break for summer recess soon. Brett Caraway, an associate professor at the University of Toronto who focuses on technology and privacy, said Canada's proposal would be more comprehensive than the Australian law. "The Canadian proposal would entail a more complex set of platform obligations and (re)designs. Its aim is a redesign of the social media ecosystem to make it safer for children whereas Australia's law is about restricting access to the ecosystem," he said. "The scope is also broader since the Canadian law would tackle AI as well." (Reporting by Maria Cheng; Additional reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Mark Porter and David Gregorio)