Could Canada Adopt New Legislation on Social Media Ban for Youth

The Canadian government is considering setting legal restrictions to possibly ban children under the age of 14 from using social media platforms. This law is not currently in effect, however, other countries such as Australia and France have started to implement these kinds of measures. Note that Australia is leading the charge with the first law of its kind in the world. 

The purpose of such legislation would be to address youth mental health, cyber bullying, and online harm as well as social media addiction. Proponents who support these kinds of measures argue that this kind of ban would assist in mitigating youth anxiety, depression, and mental health issues. It is possible that the onus would be placed on social media platforms to implement measures to restrict underage users. As you can imagine, the power players in the industry would likely push back against this.  

As of now, the Canadian government is contemplating action, and no laws are in effect with respect to setting an age restriction of 14 years. The impact may trickle down to other industries including influencer marketing, whereby targeted advertising to children would be further restricted.  

We will keep you posted as this develops.