Canada introduces Digital Safety Act to ban social media for children under 16 and regulate AI chatbots

Canada's government introduced Bill C-34, the Digital Safety Act, on June 10, 2026, which would prohibit social media platforms from allowing users under 16 to create accounts and require platforms to remove flagged harmful content within 24 hours. The bill also mandates a digital regulator to set safety standards for AI chatbots. Minister Marc Miller said the legislation targets the way platforms are 'designed to capture attention' through algorithmic recommendation systems, engagement-based feeds, autoplay, and endless scrolling, and warned that such features 'have become a source of anxiety, isolation, depression and a range of other mental health challenges for many young Canadians.' Non-compliant companies face fines of 3% of global revenue or up to C$10 million, whichever is greater.