For months, there has been talk that the Canadian government could implement a ban on social media and AI chatbots for kids under 16. Now, the feds are saying they’re “very seriously” considering such a ban.
Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, Culture Minister Marc Miller confirmed that the government is actively looking into the ban. “I respect and acknowledge the work that’s been done and the concern where that policy proposal came from,” said Miller. “The grassroots have spoken. We do have to study that.”
However, the feds acknowledged that a lot of work would need to be done to figure out the specifics. For instance, AI Minister Evan Solomon said there are issues around age verification, particularly with “scope and scale.” The Liberals have gathered a panel of experts consisting of online child safety advocates, researchers and professors to provide consultation on the potential ban.
And beyond that, Miller said that more work would still be required even if such a ban were to be instituted. “Online harms don’t end as soon as you turn 15 or 16 or 17,” he said, a reference to the government’s discussions about an online harms bill. He argued it’s more important to prevent online harms from happening in the first place.
In 2024, the Trudeau government introduced such a bill that would hold platforms like Meta, Twitch and PornHub responsible for showing harmful content to minors, but it never became law. The Carney government has since confirmed it’s looking into similar legislation, although it’s not yet clear how that might work.
All of this comes after the Liberals passed two non-binding resolutions at their policy convention over the weekend in Montreal. One called for a ban of social media for youth 16 and under, while the other pushed for the same for “all AI chatbots and other potentially harmful forms of AI interaction.”
It’s worth noting that a recent survey found that the majority of Canadians said they support a youth ban of social media. Canada would also follow Australia, which recently became the first country to implement a social media ban among kids under 16. Other countries like the UK, Denmark, France, and Germany are also considering such a ban.
Via: The Toronto Star
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