Federal government mulling social media ban for kids; few details available

Canada's push for a social media ban comes after Australia cut off kids under 16 from having social media accounts. Ottawa says there are many options.

The federal government is considering a social media ban for younger people, though the exact demographic and parameters are not yet clear.

“We all want our children to be safe as they navigate the digital world, and platforms have an important role to play in meeting that challenge. Our government intends to act swiftly to better protect Canadians, especially children, from online harm,” said Hermine Landry, press secretary for the minister of Canadian identity and culture and minister responsible for official languages.

The idea of a social media ban for teenagers is welcome news for Candace Charbonneau, who has an 11-year-old daughter not on social media yet.

“I think it’s a really good idea,” said Charbonneau.

“It (social media) allows students or kids to be a different person.”

The age demographic targeted is not clear, but some high schoolers see an upside to keeping younger kids off the platforms.

“When I was younger, I probably would have been against it. Now that I am older, I can see the advantages of having a ban,” said Michael Gerlitz, who is in Grade 12.

“There is lots of dangerous situations you can get in with older individuals.”

Warner Dillabough is another Grade 12 student who would back the ban.

“I feel like it could actually be quite beneficial for kids,” said Dillabough.

“Protect younger people and their minds and keep them away from all the anxiety and whatnot that comes with social media at that age.”

The push for a ban comes after Australia implemented its own, with those under 16 no longer legally permitted to have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch or TikTok.

“I think (social media) has had a horrible effect on kids,” said Mount Royal University education professor Jodi Nickel.

“They’re not interacting with others in real time, so they’re not learning social skills. They’re not having real-time conversations. They’re not outdoors or engaging in other play—real play.”

According to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, since 2020, there have been more than 14,100 reported sextortion cases (66 per cent of which occurred on just Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok).

Those numbers are only from kids who came forward to the centre and do not include police or other community support services.

“There is an urgent need for Canada to introduce online safety legislation to protect children,” said Sara Austin, CEO and founder of Children First Canada.

Austin wants to see the federal government go further than social media bans and include AI and gaming platforms “that really affect the whole digital space that our kids are living in.”

“One really stark example is in the past year alone, a quarter of our children have experienced cyberbullying online,” said Austin.

CTV News reached out to Meta, the parent company for Facebook and Instagram, but has not yet heard back.