Canadian Bill to Ban Under 16s from Social Media Goes to Parliament

The federal government of Canada has sent a bill to Parliament aimed at banning children below 16 years of age from accessing social media. The bill also contains provisions laying the ground for establishing safeguards intended to make AI chatbots safer.

Under the bill, platforms that conform to a given set of safety standards will be exempted from the social media ban.

Canada joins a list of several countries that are taking steps to ban minors from accessing social media due to concerns about their safety on those platforms. Canada’s bill is titled “Digital Safety Act.” Marc Miller, the Canadian Culture & Identity Minister, released a statement indicating that the country could no longer treat children’s safety as an afterthought.

The bill seeks to impose penalties of up to $7.2 million or 3% of a platform’s global revenue, whichever is higher, upon platforms that fail to comply with the requirements included in this law once it is passed.

Miller revealed that AI chatbots and social media don’t support the development of children in the early years of their lives and have become sources of depression, isolation, anxiety and many other mental health conditions afflicting Canadian children.

He asserted that this law would nurture a safer environment in which Canadian children can build relationships, have in-person connections with others, focus while at school and learn the skills they need to thrive in the real world.

The bill was tabled a few weeks after OpenAI was sued by parents of kids impacted by a mass shooting. The parents say OpenAI didn’t warn Canadian police despite banning the shooter from ChatGPT after noticing the troubling nature of the conversations that the individual had on the chatbot. He was banned in June, long before the mass shooting incident happened.

In drafting the bill, the government took exception to various features, such as autoplay, algorithmic recommendations and feeds based on engagement statistics, as ways through which online harm is enabled by social media platforms. Children can get increasingly exposed to harmful content due to these features, the government says.

The government wants platforms to pull down within 24 hours any content that has been flagged as inappropriate or intimate images that have been shared without the consent of the parties depicted. Other safety measures expected to be set up by platforms include mechanisms to flag or block content, measures to mitigate certain risks, modifying platform features in order to conduct age verification or otherwise improve safety, and much more.

Tech giants like Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) may be wondering what the future holds for social media as Canada joins Australia, Poland, Denmark, France, Turkey and other countries taking steps to impose bans or degrees of restrictions on social media access for minors.

About TrillionDollarClub

TrillionDollarClub (“TDC”) is a specialized communications platform with a focus on the biggest and brightest companies covered by IBN. It is one of 75+ brands within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio @ IBN that delivers: (1) access to a vast network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to efficiently and effectively reach a myriad of target markets, demographics and diverse industries; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ outlets; (3) enhanced press release enhancement to ensure maximum impact; (4) social media distribution via IBN to millions of social media followers; and (5) a full array of tailored corporate communications solutions. With broad reach and a seasoned team of contributing journalists and writers, TDC is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that want to reach a wide audience of investors, influencers, consumers, journalists, and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, TDC brings its clients unparalleled recognition and brand awareness.

TDC is where breaking news, insightful content and actionable information converge.

To receive SMS alerts from TrillionDollarClub, text “Trillion” to 888-902-4192 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only)

For more information, please visit https://www.TrillionDollarClub.net

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the TrillionDollarClub website applicable to all content provided by TDC, wherever published or re-published: https://www.TrillionDollarClub.net/Disclaimer

TrillionDollarClub
Austin, TX
www.TrillionDollarClub.net
512.354.7000 Office
Editor@TrillionDollarClub.net

TrillionDollarClub is powered by IBN