N.S. Liberals to table bill for minimum age to use social media

Nova Scotia could become the first province in Canada to set an age limit for social media use

The Nova Scotia Liberals are bringing forward a bill that would make 16 the minimum age to use social media in the province.

The Liberals, who currently have two MLAs in the Legislative Assembly, will table the Social Media Responsibility Act this fall. In a news release, the party cited Norway and Australia as countries who are taking similar steps.

“This bill will ensure that children under 16 are not exposed to harmful content or interactions that can have life-long impacts on their mental health,” said Liberal House Leader Iain Rankin in the release. “As a father myself, I know how critical it is that we put our childrenʼs well-being first. If we want Nova Scotia to be the best place in Canada to raise a family, this is a positive step in making that happen.”

Last November, the Australian government approved a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16. Norway is proposing a new law that prohibits social media platforms from offering their services to people under the age of 15.

Statistics Canada’s 24-hour movement guidelines recommend youth age five to 17 should have their recreational screen time limited to no more than two hours per day.

“Frequent social media and Internet use can place younger people at a higher risk of experiencing or being incited to perpetrate online harms and cyberaggression, from exposure to harmful online content to cyber-related hate crimes and other acts of cyberbullying, such as sexual exploitation targeting specific individuals,” Statistics Canada says.

“At any age, if used correctly, social media can be an excellent means of connecting with friends and loved ones. It is important to be mindful, though, of the adverse effects that social media can have on mental and physical health if used too often.”

Last year, the Nova Scotia government implemented a cellphone ban at schools during instructional time.

“We know that social media can have real consequences on childrenʼs mental health and their success at school,ˮ said interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette. “This legislation would create clear protections for families and make Nova Scotia a national leader in putting children’s safety first.ˮ

Ruby Maye is the grandmother of four children. She says her granddaughters are not allowed on the internet.

“Everything they watch is all pre-taped and monitored by their parents so there is no free reign or YouTube that they can get onto,” says Maye.

Clinical psychologist Simon Sherry says the average youth in North America spends four hours a day on social media.

“And averages hide people, as in some people are spending six, seven, eight hours a day, ” says Sherry.

“They are feeding our kids a steady diet of anxiety and outrage, making our kids upset and unwell.”

Sherry believes the use of screens, phones and social media should be delayed as long as possible.

“By around the teenage years that reaches a near impossibility to be disconnecting teens and tweens from phones, so at some point you have to accommodate to the reality of living in 2025,” says Sherry.

Jenna Poste, co-founder of the Nova Scotia chapter of Unplanned Canada, says social media isn’t all bad.

“I mean you can always see that there are places for community, and some people find connection there, but the rate of the harm is so high that we can’t keep going this way. We have to make some change because it’s impacting kids more in a negative way than it is kids in a positive way,” she says.

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Emma Convey

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