Canadian Culture Minister Marc Miller said the government is “seriously” considering a ban or moratorium on young people using social media and artificial intelligence chatbots.
Mr Miller, who is developing legislation to govern online platforms, told reporters in Ottawa on April 15 that a youth social-media ban is one of a number of measures being contemplated.
“It’s clear that a ban or a moratorium on social media by kids, who we do need to protect – it can be an important element, but it can’t be the only one,” he said.
He added that online harms don’t disappear “as soon as you turn 15 or 16 or 17”, and argued that platforms must take greater responsibility for the risks they pose.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has previously said a youth social-media ban is being examined, though he has not made a final decision.
Any move to restrict youth access to digital platforms would add to existing friction with large technology companies including Meta Platforms and YouTube parent Alphabet, which are already resisting Canadian regulations on news content and streaming services.
The US Trade Representative’s office has cited Canada’s digital laws as trade barriers, signaling they may become points of contention in the upcoming review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Mr Miller’s comments follow a vote by members of the governing Liberal Party in favor of prohibiting young people from using both social-media platforms and AI chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The debate intensified after OpenAI revealed that the alleged perpetrator of a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, discussed gun violence on ChatGPT months before the attack.
The suspect was 18 at the time of the killings, but the case heightened concerns about youth access to AI tools.
Mr Miller said the government is also studying restrictions on youth chatbot use, though he noted that regulating AI tools is more complex than regulating traditional social-media platforms.
A committee is exploring policy options, he said.
Australia has already legislated a ban on social-media use for children under 16 to address mental-health issues, cyberbullying, and exposure to harmful content. Mr Miller said he is reviewing Australia’s experience as part of the process.
“Looking at some of the feedback, we have some work to do, frankly, if we want to get it right,” he said. “The politics perhaps of it are convenient, but the policy has to be right as well.”
Mr Miller did not provide a timeline for introducing the Bill. BLOOMBERG