“75% of Canadians support a full ban on social media for those under 16.” — Angus Reid Poll, March 2026
Canada’s federal government announced on 8 June 2026 that it would introduce legislation banning social media use for children under 16 years of age. The proposed law, part of a sweeping Online Harms Bill to be tabled in the House of Commons on 10 June 2026, is being brought in by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government. It positions Canada alongside Australia, Malaysia, Brazil, and several European nations in a rapidly expanding global movement to regulate children’s access to digital platforms — and follows two earlier failed legislative attempts (Bill C-36 in 2021, Bill C-63 in 2024).
📜 Canada’s Legislative History on Online Harms
Canada’s attempts to legislate against online harms date back to 2021. Bill C-36 targeted hate propaganda and online speech but died when the federal election was called in August 2021. In February 2024, the Trudeau government introduced Bill C-63 (the Online Harms Act), which proposed a Digital Safety Commission of Canada to enforce content removal from social media platforms. It covered seven categories of harmful content:
- Content that sexually victimises children
- Intimate images shared without consent
- Content encouraging self-harm by children
- Content used to bully children
- Content fomenting hatred
- Content inciting violence
- Content promoting violent extremism or terrorism
Bill C-63 never completed legislative passage — it lapsed when Parliament was prorogued. The 2026 bill revives and expands on this framework, with the under-16 ban as a new central element. The age threshold was initially proposed at under-14 by Canadian Heritage Minister Marc Miller in April 2026, then raised to 16 after the Liberal Party’s National Convention in Montreal passed a resolution introduced by Québec MP Rachel Bendayan.
✨ Key Provisions of the Proposed Bill
The 2026 Online Harms Bill contains several significant provisions:
- Core Ban: Outright ban on social media use for children under 16 — a federal law applying uniformly across all provinces and territories. Platforms must prevent under-16s from creating or maintaining accounts.
- Independent Regulator: A new digital safety regulator (similar to C-63’s Digital Safety Commission) with authority to set safety standards, conduct compliance audits, and issue financial penalties up to the greater of 6% of a platform’s gross global revenue or CAD $10 million.
- Exemption Mechanism: Platforms may apply for relief from the ban by demonstrating robust safeguards for young users — mirroring Australia’s model.
- AI Transparency: Requirements for AI companies to disclose thresholds at which they report to police when a user indicates intent to self-harm or harm others.
- Harmful Content: Duties to swiftly remove child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and content encouraging self-harm — reinstated from C-63.
Think of this like a driver’s licence system for social media. You need to be 16+ to get an account — no exceptions at sign-up. But platforms that prove they’ve built strong enough safety guardrails can apply for a “learner’s permit” model that allows younger users back in under supervised conditions. The regulator acts as the traffic authority, issuing fines to platforms that ignore the rules.
⚖️ Why the Provinces Moved First
Several Canadian provinces had acted independently before the federal government. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced in April 2026 that Manitoba would enact its own under-16 social media ban — the first province in Canada to do so. Ontario, Alberta, and New Brunswick had also considered similar measures.
This fragmented provincial approach created pressure for a single national standard. The same dynamic had occurred in Australia, where South Australia’s proposed under-14 ban prompted the federal government to introduce a nationally consistent under-16 rule. A uniform federal standard eliminates the risk of jurisdictional arbitrage — platforms offering different terms to users in different provinces.
Canada’s Parliament Structure: House of Commons (lower house, elected) + Senate (upper house, appointed). The Online Harms Bill is tabled in the House of Commons. Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy — federal law overrides incompatible provincial law in areas of federal jurisdiction.
📌 Research Evidence: Why Governments Are Acting
The legislative push is driven by a growing body of research on social media’s impact on adolescent mental health:
- WHO (2022): Nearly 280,000 young people surveyed across 44 countries — 11% showed signs of problematic social media behaviour (up from 7% in 2018). Girls: 13%; Boys: 9%.
- US Adolescent Depression: Rates rose from 8.7% (2005) to 11.3% (2014) — correlating with the smartphone-social media era.
- Jonathan Haidt: Social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation (2024) — prominent advocate linking adolescent mental health decline to social media design.
- APA (2024): American Psychological Association highlighted correlation between high social media use and poor adolescent mental health.
- Design Features: Infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendation, and engagement-maximising push notifications drive compulsive use — particularly harmful for neurologically developing adolescents.
Brazil’s Digital Statute specifically prohibits these addictive design features for minors, reflecting a regulatory philosophy that targets platform architecture rather than just access.
There are two distinct policy approaches: ban access (Canada, Australia, Malaysia) vs. ban design features (Brazil — no infinite scroll, no algorithmic push notifications for minors). Which is more effective? Access bans are easier to announce but harder to enforce (VPNs, fake IDs). Design regulation is harder to draft but targets the actual harm mechanism. Canada’s 2026 bill attempts both.
🌍 Global Comparisons: The International Regulatory Wave
Canada’s announcement is part of a widening international consensus:
- Australia (10 Dec 2025): First country to enforce an under-16 nationwide ban. Social Media Minimum Age Act — fines up to AUD $49.5 million (~USD $32 million). Platforms covered: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Twitch, Threads. Result by mid-Dec 2025: 4.7 million under-16 accounts removed, but widespread VPN bypass reported.
- Malaysia (June 2026): Under-16 social media ban enacted in the week before Canada’s announcement.
- Brazil (17 March 2026): Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents — under-16 users must link accounts to a legal guardian; addictive design features prohibited.
- France: Parental consent required for under-15s under existing law; stricter ban proposed.
- Portugal (Feb 2026): Parental consent + digital authentication for ages 13–16.
- Spain (Feb 2026): PM Pedro Sanchez announced plans for an under-16 ban.
- Denmark: Cross-party support for under-15 ban, expected by mid-2026.
- Austria (March 2026): Plans to ban social media for under-14s.
- Norway: Bill planned by end of 2026.
- UK (2026): Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 — requires age/functionality restrictions for under-16s.
- EU (Digital Services Act): MEPs announced support in November 2025 for an EU-wide minimum social media age of 16.
| Country | Age Limit | Key Feature / Status |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Under 16 | Enforced since 10 Dec 2025; fines up to AUD $49.5M |
| Canada | Under 16 | Bill tabled 10 June 2026; exemption model included |
| Malaysia | Under 16 | Enacted June 2026 |
| Brazil | Under 16 | Effective 17 Mar 2026; guardian-linking + design ban |
| Spain | Under 16 | Announced Feb 2026 by PM Sanchez |
| Denmark | Under 15 | Cross-party support; expected mid-2026 |
| Austria | Under 14 | Plans announced March 2026 |
| France | Under 15 | Parental consent required (existing law) |
| UK | Under 16 | Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 |
| EU | Under 16 (proposed) | DSA framework; MEP resolution Nov 2025 |
💭 Debates & Criticism
Despite 75% public support, the bill faces substantive objections:
- Privacy Risks: Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne warned (May 2026) that a ban should not come at the expense of strong privacy protections. Age verification via government ID, facial recognition, or behavioural data creates surveillance risks for all users.
- Enforcement Limitations: Australia’s experience showed widespread VPN use and age-assurance tool failures. Critics argue determined adolescents will simply go underground.
- Harm Displacement: Civil liberties groups (incl. Amnesty International) describe Australia’s ban as an “ineffective quick fix” that may push children to less regulated, less visible internet spaces.
- Benefits of Social Media for Youth: Platforms provide social connection, peer support, LGBTQ+ community building, and access to mental health information. Blanket bans may disproportionately harm vulnerable young people who rely on these communities.
- Root Cause vs. Symptom: Some researchers argue the more durable fix is regulating addictive design features (infinite scroll, algorithmic amplification) rather than restricting access — the approach Brazil has taken.
Don’t confuse these countries and ages: Australia = under 16 (enforced Dec 2025). Austria = under 14. Denmark = under 15. France = under 15 (parental consent model, not outright ban). Brazil = under 16 but with a different mechanism (guardian-linking + design bans, not access prohibition). Canada’s bill initially proposed under-14, then was raised to under-16 before tabling.
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Canada announced its Online Harms Bill on 8 June 2026, with the bill tabled in the House of Commons on 10 June 2026. The Prime Minister is Mark Carney of the Liberal Party.
Australia was the first country to enforce a nationwide under-16 social media ban. Its Social Media Minimum Age Act took effect on 10 December 2025. Non-compliant platforms face fines up to AUD $49.5 million.
The WHO 2022 study found 11% of adolescents showed signs of problematic social media behaviour, up from 7% in 2018. Girls showed higher rates (13%) than boys (9%). The study surveyed nearly 280,000 young people across 44 countries.
Brazil’s Digital Statute (effective 17 March 2026) requires under-16 users to link accounts to a legal guardian AND prohibits addictive design features such as infinite scroll — a design-regulation approach. Australia imposes an outright access ban for under-16s.
Canadian Heritage Minister Marc Miller initially proposed a ban for those aged under 14 in April 2026. Following the Liberal Party National Convention resolution introduced by Québec MP Rachel Bendayan, the threshold was raised to under 16.
