Ottawa moves to ban the use of social media for children under 16 and regulate chatbots

Ottawa —
The Canadian federal government is moving to impose new restrictions on the use of social media platforms by children under the age of 16, as part of a broader bill aimed at enhancing the protection of minors in the digital environment.

The plan includes requiring platforms to take stricter measures to verify users' ages, and to prevent children under the specified age from creating accounts or directly using social media services.

The government’s move also includes rules to regulate chatbots and interactive artificial intelligence systems, especially those that children can interact with or that influence their behavior and decisions.

The government says the goal is to reduce minors' exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, exploitation, algorithmic manipulation, as well as to limit risks associated with excessive use of digital applications.

The proposal is expected to spark a wide debate about balancing protecting children from digital harm with privacy rights and freedom of internet access.

Technology companies will also face increasing pressure to modify registration systems, content moderation, recommendation algorithms, and interactions with minor users.

The Canadian move comes amid a growing international trend towards tightening oversight of digital platforms, following rising concerns about the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on the mental health and safety of children and adolescents.