As online harms intensify, children are particularly at risk. To better protect them, our government has introduced the Safe Social Media Act, which will make social media services and AI chatbot services safer for children.
The bill, if passed, would require social media services and AI chatbot services to identify, mitigate, and address risks of harm on their platforms, and to develop services that are safe by design and put the safety of children first.
It would also prevent Canadians under 16 from having accounts on social media services, while providing a process for social media platforms to seek an exemption if they can demonstrate that they have put in place a sufficient set of protections for children.
This law is about holding platforms accountable and ensuring they have protections in place to keep children safe online, reduce harm before it happens, and ensure that digital spaces are safe by design all while protecting the privacy of Canadians.