Ottawa: Canada is proposing legislation to ban children under 16 from using social media. Canada's government introduced a digital safety bill on Wednesday that would ban children under 16 from using social media, except on platforms that meet safety standards. This move comes just months after Australia became the first country in the world to enact similar legislation.
According to Thai News Agency, this bill also aims to make AI chatbots more secure by establishing a digital regulatory body to set specific security standards. Companies that violate regulations could face fines of up to 3% of their global revenue or CAD$10 million (approximately 244 million baht), whichever is greater.
Canadian Minister of Identity and Culture, Mark Miller, stated that social media and AI chatbots are designed to attract attention, which is detrimental to children's development and can lead to anxiety, isolation, and depression among Canadian youth. This legislation aims to create a safer environment where children can reconnect with real-life interactions and focus fully on their studies.
This proposed legislation comes after families affected by one of the country's deadliest mass shootings sued OpenAI, alleging the company was aware of the perpetrator's planning via its ChatGPT system but failed to alert police. Meanwhile, several European countries, including France, Denmark, and Poland, are considering stricter regulations. Greece announced in April that it will ban access to social media for children under 15, effective January 2027. Officials anticipate that Canada's bill could take a year to pass parliament and another 18 months to establish regulatory oversight after it comes into effect.