Canada has introduced legislation aimed at banning social media for children under 16 and regulating AI chatbots, echoing a similar move by Australia, which was the first to implement such a ban in late 2025. This initiative comes on the heels of support from several Canadian provinces, including Manitoba, which have shown interest in imposing their own restrictions. The new legislation also follows previous efforts in Canada, where an earlier online harms bill failed in Parliament in 2025 after being introduced in 2024, prompting renewed action this year.

Canadian government: The Canadian government is the federal administration responsible for developing and enacting national policies and legislation on technology, digital safety, and public protection. It recently introduced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, which targets social media access for minors and oversight of AI chatbots to mitigate online harms.

`json
{
“Global Context”: “Canada is introducing a ban on social media for children under 16, similar to measures taken by other countries around the world.”,
“Provincial Momentum”: “Several Canadian provinces, including Manitoba, have shown support for or announced their own initiatives restricting social media and AI chatbots for children under 16.”,
“Prior Canadian Efforts”: “An earlier online harms bill was introduced in Canada but did not pass, leading to renewed legislative attempts.”
}
`