Bill C-34, introduced in June 2026, would create a regulator and require safer-by-design platforms while leaving unclear how age verification would be handled for under-16 social media users.
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Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, was unveiled in June 2026 in the House of Commons by Marc Miller, the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, and would create a new independent regulator, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada.
The legislation would make social media services and AI chatbots legally accountable for building platforms that are “safe by design” and prioritize children’s safety.
The bill’s proposed approach is compared to Australia’s social media prohibition on under-16 users, which deactivates existing profiles and prevents new accounts; the source also notes that the goal is to reduce negative impacts of social media on youths.
However, the source says a major question remains about how people would verify their ages, and it notes that Bill C-34 does not currently define a timeline for when changes could come into effect.
The source further states that, for now, adults would not have to prove their age to access social media, though age verification could be required in the future if the bill passes.
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