Canada’s first steps towards a social media ban
6/12/202627 min
The government’s new Safe Social Media Act, introduced on Wednesday, will require social media companies to block users below the age of 16 from having accounts on their platforms in a move to address online safety. The ban itself is not imminent – the bill has to pass first – but its introduction begs the question: what does a well regulated internet look like? And is that a balance this government is striking?
Dr. Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law. He’ll take us through the strengths and weaknesses of the legislation, and what he thinks is needed to keep children – and all Canadians – protected online.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsCheryl Sutherland· Host0:00
[upbeat music] We now have a sense of the government's plans to regulate online harms. On Wednesday, the federal government unveiled the Safe Social Media Act.
Mark Miller· Soundbite0:14
The act will establish a minimum age of 16 to have a social media account.
Cheryl Sutherland· Host0:20
That's Mark Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture.
Mark Miller· Soundbite0:24
The act will require social media platforms and AI chatbot services to do more to protect children and make their platforms safe by design.
Cheryl Sutherland· Host0:35
This legislation has been in the works for a while. It's the third time the liberals have tried to tackle online harms in the past five years. And as Minister Miller says, the bill has a strong focus on protecting kids. The goal here is to compel social media and AI chatbot companies to adapt their products to mitigate harmful online content, like bullying, content that can lead a child to self-harm, or inciting violence. It also introduces age verification for adult content online. What's getting a lot of attention is a measure to ban children under the age of 16 from having accounts on regulated social media platforms, at least until the platforms can comply with new design requirements. This will all be enforced