New Canadian bill to ban social media for children raises digital ID concerns
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Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act that includes the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act, is similar to a ban for children under age 16 in Australia.
(LifeSiteNews) — Canada’s Liberal government introduced a bill that will ban social media use for children under 16, but constitutional experts warned that there could be ulterior motives for such a bill, including a digital ID.
On June 10, Culture Minister Marc Miller announced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, which includes the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act. The full text of the bill is not yet available.
Besides banning social media for children, the new bill will also require online platforms having measures in place to report credible threats of violence or self-harm to the police.
It is expected that the social media ban will be similar to one in Australia, which bans youth under 16 from having Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, and other platform accounts.
However, it has been reported that social media platforms may receive exemptions if they can prove that they meet new safety standards for users, especially minors.
The Liberal government had previously hinted that a social media ban was coming.
Miller claimed that the “grassroots have spoken” on the matter and that “it’s clear that a ban or a moratorium on social media by kids, who we do need to protect, can be an important element, but it can’t be the only one.”
“I do think it could be an important layer, but it has to be seen as that, and not as the answer to everything. Online harms don’t end as soon as you turn 15, or 16, or 17,” he said.
Recently, Liberal Party members voted in favor of a resolution calling for a social media ban for minors. Some provinces, such as Manitoba, have said they are looking to implement social media bans of their own, and other provinces have hinted they may do the same.
Recent polls show public support for a minor social media ban as high as 75 percent in favor.