Overview
- Culture Minister Marc Miller filed a bill on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, that would make 16 the minimum age to create social media accounts in Canada.
- Ministers said the change responds to evidence of harm and that parents cannot shoulder online safety alone, with Health Minister Marjorie Michel saying social media and AI chatbots have contributed to anxiety, isolation and depression among young people.
- The proposal is at the legislative introduction and consultation stage and would join other recent national moves to restrict youth access to social platforms.
- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on May 29 that banning access alone is inadequate and urged governments and companies to redesign platforms to reduce harms to children.
- If adopted, the law could cut direct platform access for many teens but may prompt workarounds, enforcement challenges and pressure on companies to change features such as recommendation algorithms and chatbot content limits.