Ottawa ‘very seriously’ considering social media ban for kids, minister says

Culture Minister Marc Miller speaks during a panel at the Liberal Party of Canada convention in Montreal on Friday, April 10, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

OTTAWA — The federal government is “very seriously” considering introducing a social media ban for kids, Culture Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday, days after party members voted in favour of a ban at the Liberal party convention.

“I respect and acknowledge the work that’s been done and the concern where that policy proposal came from,” Miller told reporters on Parliament Hill.

“The grassroots have spoken. We do have to study that.”

In Montreal on Saturday, party members passed a non-binding resolution calling on the government to set 16 as the minimum age for access to social media accounts.

A ban could be an important tool but it’s not a solution to the bigger problem of online harms, Miller said.

“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.

Last December, Australia became the first country to pass a law enforcing age limits on social media accounts.

The federal government plans to introduce an online harms bill and is consulting with an expert advisory group on what the legislation should look like. Miller, who is taking the lead on the file, declined to give a timeline for introducing the bill.

Miller said the government is leaving it to the expert group to weigh in on whether the legislation should also cover access to AI chatbots.

“The more these things become prevalent and people have access to them and they are in fact causing harm, then you feel the people that are supporting these platforms or the owners of these chatbots have a responsibility,” he said.

On Saturday, the Liberals also adopted a similar non-binding resolution to set age restrictions for AI chatbots.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2026.

-- With files from Kyle Duggan

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press