Canada seeks to ban social media accounts for children under 16, joining growing global effort

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TORONTO (AP) — Canada introduced legislation on Wednesday that could bar children younger than 16 from having social media accounts unless the companies show they can make their platforms safe.

Canada is joining a growing global effort to tighten safety protections. Canadian government officials said social media platforms can obtain an exemption if they have put in place sufficient safeguards.

“We are failing our children. Enough is enough,” Marc Miller, Canada’s culture minister, said. “We need basic protection in place."

The legislation covers seven types of harmful content including content that induces children to harm themselves, content that incites violence and foments hatred and non-consensual intimate images.

A new regulator, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, will be created. Criteria for what exemptions would look like will be announced at a later date. Miller said setting up the regulator could take up to 18 months.

Miller said platforms will need to prove they are safe. Age verification will also be established.

Countries including Australia,Brazil and Indonesia have introduced or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. Others including Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are studying or developing similar approaches.

Platforms in Canada that offer adult content would not be able to obtain an exemption.

The legislation would also regulate the companies behind artificial intelligence chatbots by imposing on them a duty to act responsibly through measures such as crisis intervention protocols.

In Australia, social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children since the country banned use of the platforms by those under 16, officials said. The law provoked intense debate in Australia about technology use, privacy, child safety and mental health and has prompted other countries to consider similar measures.

A Canadian government official, in a briefing with journalists, said authorities will try to learn lessons from Australia.

Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, applauded the move, noting sextortion on social media is up dramatically.