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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 such 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.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the government would take the will of the convention into consideration.
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“Our policies are informed by a range of different stakeholders, including what people at conventions say. And this was a convention with over 4,500 people, a very loud voice and a very significant voice, but we’ve also heard from Canadians from coast to coast to coast,” Anandasangaree told reporters.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the government is considering a number of different options. He added the government takes note of party members’ decisions, but isn’t bound by them.
“We would give it the consideration that it deserves, but we want to make sure that we have the full benefit of the deep policy advice from people whose full-time job it is to understand the consequences,” he said.
“Resolutions that are adopted by the party obviously have a broad base of political support, but they aren’t necessarily benefiting from the same level of advice and consideration.”
Last December, Australia became the first country to pass a law enforcing age limits on social media accounts. The idea has since gained traction elsewhere.
The EU has developed an age verification app that will be available for use soon, Reuters reported Wednesday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the app will require users to upload their passport or ID card to confirm their age anonymously, the news agency reported.
It noted at least a dozen European countries are considering or have put in place legislation that sets a minimum age for social media use.
In Canada, 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.
The government’s move to consider age restrictions for social media and chatbots received support from Conservative and NDP MPs Wednesday.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett said it’s an important question and a committee study “where we could hear from experts, instead of simply a proclamation from government or from people in the industry about what they think it should look like, is the best way to proceed with it.”
NDP parliamentary leader Don Davies said every parent in the country is worried about their kids accessing inappropriate content online, and there is a need for government regulation in this space.
While he said he didn’t want to comment specifically on age restrictions, Davies added, “I know some other countries are moving in that direction, so I think it’s something Canada should look at.”
The government is leaving it to the expert group to weigh in on whether the legislation should also cover access to AI chatbots, Miller said.
“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.
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