The Canadian government has introduced a new law, under which children under 16 years of age can be banned from creating social media accounts. The government says that this step is being taken to protect children from the increasing dangers on the internet and social media. However, social media companies may get exemption from this rule. For this, they will have to prove that their platform is safe for children and there are adequate security measures in place.
Canada’s Culture Minister Mark Miller said society has failed to keep children safe and now the time has come to take strict action. He said that basic security arrangements should be ensured for children. Seven types of harmful online content have been included in the proposed law. These include content that incites children to self-harm, promotes violence, incites hatred, or shares private or intimate images of a person without their permission.
New organization will enforce laws
The Government of Canada will create a new organization, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, to implement and monitor this law. This organization will decide what security standards will have to be met to grant exemption to a social media company. The government has said that information about these standards will be given later. According to Minister Mark Miller, this new institution may take about 18 months to be fully established.
The government says that now social media companies themselves will have to prove that their platforms are safe for children. Apart from this, the system of age verification will also be implemented to check the age of the users.
In which countries is social media banned?
Before Canada, Australia, Brazil and Indonesia have implemented or announced age-based rules on children’s social media use. At the same time, UK, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are also considering such rules. According to the law, online platforms with adult content will not get any exemption.
Companies making AI chatbots have also been included in the new law. These companies will have a legal obligation to act responsibly. They will have to implement security measures like intervening in crisis situations.
Australia closed 47 lakh accounts
After the ban on social media for children under 16 years of age came into force in Australia, companies closed about 47 lakh such accounts which were said to be of children. There was a big debate there regarding this law. The Canadian government says that it will implement its own rules by learning from Australia’s experiences.
Liana Macdonald, executive director of the Canadian Center for Child Protection, welcomed the move. He says that there has been a rapid increase in cases related to blackmailing and sexual exploitation of children on social media, hence such a law is needed.
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