A federal plan to ban social media for children under 16 is receiving support from child advocates concerned about online harms, while some Alberta teenagers and parents question whether restrictions are preferable to education and parental supervision. The federal government is expected to introduce legislation Wednesday that would create a new digital safety framework aimed at protecting children online. The proposed law is expected to include restrictions on social media access for children under 16, while also establishing broader requirements for technology companies to reduce harmful content and improve online safety. Prime Minister Mark Carney signalled the government’s intentions last week. “With respect to AI specifically, the government will be taking steps to protect people’s data, their privacy and their children. So that is the focus of this government,” he said. The legislation follows growing concerns across Canada and internationally about the impact of social media and digital platforms on young people, including cyberbullying, online exploitation, harmful content and privacy concerns. Child advocates call legislation ‘long overdue’ Among the strongest supporters of the proposed legislation is Sara Austin, founder and CEO of Children First Canada. “This is a huge victory for Canada’s eight million children,” Austin said. “We have been advocating for years for online safety legislation to protect kids in the digital world. It’s been more than 1,700 days, four years in the life of a child, since the Liberal government pledged to do this. It is long overdue.” Austin said children face a wide range of digital risks “from birth all the way through their teen years.” “We’ve seen a huge escalation in cases of cyberbullying. As many as one in four kids experiencing cyberbullying within the past year. Sextortion rates have risen rapidly, particularly for boys.” Austin said the proposed legislation is also about much more than simply restricting access to social media. “It creates an obligation on tech companies to prevent harm in the first place and to have a duty of care to prevent the things that we know harm our kids,” she said. Austin pointed to concerns surrounding artificial intelligence, saying stronger oversight is needed as AI tools become increasingly common among young people. “We’ve seen a real emergence of AI within the classrooms for school-age children without any protection for their digital privacy, let alone the harms that can escalate so quickly,” Austin said. Alberta government monitoring developments The Alberta government stopped short of endorsing a ban, saying it is continuing to watch developments in Canada and elsewhere. “Alberta’s government is aware there are jurisdictions implementing or considering limiting or banning social media for children. We continue to monitor and review developments,” said a statement from the office of Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish. “However, we believe government policies should focus on empowering parents and ensuring they have the tools they need to protect their children, including measures that give parents greater control over what their children can access online.” The Alberta NDP expressed support for measures aimed at protecting young people online. “All youth deserve to be protected in digital spaces, and there is growing evidence and concern about the harm young people are facing online,” said Nathan Ip, the party’s shadow minister for technology and innovation. “The Alberta NDP Caucus supports efforts that help keep young people safe and is open to considering evidence-based measures, including approaches being tested in other jurisdictions.” Parent supports restrictions Some Alberta parents say stronger action is needed. Calgary parent Cornie Koethler said he supports the proposed ban and believes many children would benefit from spending less time online. “I think it’s a great thing,” he said. “I think the kids get really brainwashed by a lot of false stuff that’s online.” Koethler said children would be better served by spending more time outdoors and engaging in face-to-face activities. “I think training kids to be more self-sufficient is really where life comes from,” he said. “Growing a garden, having kids outside and being offline, playing and getting themselves dirty, climbing trees like we did.” Koethler said concerns regarding online predators and the impact social media can have on body image, self-esteem or misinformation could also be mitigated. “Especially with AI, I mean, it’s a helpful platform, but I feel like it’s going to be more of a dangerous platform as well, because instead of a kid using his brain, you can just ask AI and a lot of the things it spits out now and then are inaccurate,” he said. Students divided on proposed ban Calgary high school students interviewed Tuesday were split on the idea of a social media ban, with some supporting tighter restrictions while others said education and parental oversight would be more effective. Some students said social media is important for maintaining friendships and connections. “I don’t fully support it,” said 16-year-old Grade 11 student Zosia Adelman. “I have recently moved to Calgary because I used to live in Lethbridge, and social media was how I stayed in contact with my friends.” Adelman said she understands concerns about harmful content but believes responsibility should sit with parents. “I think there should be maybe some limitations, but I feel like that should be more of a parent’s responsibility. That shouldn’t mean taking it away from them.” Grade 10 student Ena Milicevic, 15, agreed a full ban would not be effective. “I feel like fully banning it won’t solve the problem,” she said. Milicevic said social media can also be positive. “It’s a good way for a lot of people to express themselves, so I think it’s something that can be really beneficial for a lot of people,” she said. Fellow Grade 10 student Katelyn Robert, also 15, said restrictions would work better than a ban. “I personally don’t really think it’s going to do what the government wants,” she said. Robert said a ban could also backfire. “I feel like them banning it just motivates kids to lie about their age online instead of being responsible,” she said. Robert said communication at home is key. “Talking about it with your kid is a lot better than just banning them from being on it,” she said. Other students, however, did support stronger limits, pointing to concerns about mental health and inappropriate content. Grade 10 student Addison Li, 15, said exposure to harmful material is a concern. “I think it is a responsible sort of measure being taken,” Li said. “A lot of children are exposed to certain inappropriate things online.” Sixteen-year-old Grade 10 student Evan Gu supported the idea more strongly. “I think personally it’s quite necessary,” he said. “I personally have seen super inappropriate images, or even videos, on Facebook.” Gu said social media can negatively affect mental health. “My anxiety was somewhat raised because of how I view others—how I view the life that I was living,” he said. Gu said more offline interaction would help. “We should have more organic interactions with people, and we should have more focus on face-to-face conversations,” he said. Seventeen-year-old Grade 12 student Tyson Carroll also said enforcement would be difficult, but the idea still has merit. “I think it is a smart idea,” he said. “But I also think it ultimately comes down to the parenting and them having their controls rather than a ban itself.” Conservatives waiting to review legislation Federal Conservatives say they support protecting children but want to see the legislation before taking a firm position. Frank Caputo, Conservative MP for Kamloops–Thompson–Nicola and the party’s shadow minister for public safety, said he intends to reserve judgment until details are released. “As a father of two teenage children, this is important,” he said. “We want to keep kids safe.” However, Caputo said questions remain about the scope of the legislation. “Let’s see what the legislation says. I haven’t even read the legislation yet,” he said. Caputo said the Conservatives will closely examine whether the legislation goes beyond its stated objectives. For Austin, however, the legislation represents a major turning point in how governments address children’s safety online. “I refuse to live in a country where every day our children are getting sick, injured and dying because of social media and other digital harms,” she said. “Those days are over, and this is time for real change for our children.” Expert calls for education-focused approach A Calgary Police cyber safety specialist says the focus should be on education and communication rather than relying solely on restrictions or bans when it comes to youth social media use. “It’s all about having open communication between parents and guardians and youth,” said Adriana Dewar, cybersafety specialist and community outreach lead at the Calgary Police Discovery Centre. “That way, parents know what kind of platforms youth are using—what kind of things they’re engaging with online.” Dewar said digital literacy and awareness of online risks are important. “Teaching digital citizenship is vital to help youth recognize red flags, any misinformation and also being aware of harmful consequences that can happen with online behaviour,” she said. Dewar said parents should understand the apps themselves and use available tools to set boundaries. “Knowing the apps is huge; understanding that there are additional tools, things like kids lock or parental control apps, you can also limit screen time and you can block certain content,” she said. Dewar said while online risks are real, they are part of a broader system that requires a balanced approach. “Just limiting social media isn’t going to necessarily reduce all of the harms, but continuing to grow with technology and change with technology is a way that we can help safeguard ourselves,” she said.
