The Liberal government\u2019s new online safety legislation would force social media platforms to block access for kids under 16.<\/p>\n
Social media platforms may obtain an exemption if they have implemented sufficient safeguards.<\/p>\n
Platforms that offer adult content would not be eligible for that exemption. The bill covers adult content services that focus on user-shared content.<\/p>\n
Bill C-34, introduced Wednesday in the House of Commons, doesn\u2019t prescribe a specific method to verify age, officials said at a background briefing.<\/p>\n
The bill would also regulate the companies behind AI chatbots by imposing a duty on them to act responsibly.<\/p>\n
That includes measures to lower the risk of chatbots communicating harmful content and putting in place crisis intervention protocols for cases involving self-harm, suicide or violence.<\/p>\n
New watchdog for digital safety <\/p>\n
The legislation would create a new regulator, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada. The government said in briefing materials that it would be an independent body whose members would be appointed by the cabinet.<\/p>\n
The bill covers seven types of harmful content, including content that induces a child to harm themselves, content that incites violence and foments hatred and non-consensual intimate content.<\/p>\n
Social media platforms will have to remove two types of content within 24 hours \u2014 content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor and non-consensual intimate images.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Platforms will also have to \u201capply labels to synthetically generated content,\u201d the government said in a press release.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile laws exist to respond once harm has happened, there is currently very little that requires online services to prevent harm in the first place,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Safe Social Media Actaims to change that by ensuring that social media services and artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are responsible for addressing harm before it occurs.\u201d<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 10, 2026.<\/p>\n
\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n