Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Canada Moves to Ban Under-16 Social Media Accounts, Heavy Fines

6/11/2026

28 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Canada introduced the Safe Social Media Act to ban social-media accounts for children under 16.
The bill ties the ban to a safety-standard exemption that lets platforms meeting new criteria keep teen users.
Culture Minister Marc Miller presented the legislation on June 10, saying Canada is failing its children.
The measure creates a Digital Safety Commission and sets penalties of up to 3 percent of global revenue or C$10 million.

History

Historical Context

After the United States enacted COPPA in 1998, the FTC made it enforceable on April 21 2000, imposing $40,000 penalties per violation and leading platforms like Google and Facebook to pay fines. In 2024 Canada’s Safe Social Media Act, unveiled by Culture Minister Marc Miller, bans accounts under 16 and creates a Safety Commission to extend child-privacy protections across North America.

1 of 2

Story summary

Canada introduced the Safe Social Media Act to ban social-media accounts for children under 16.
The bill ties the ban to a safety-standard exemption that lets platforms meeting new criteria keep teen users.
Culture Minister Marc Miller presented the legislation on June 10, saying Canada is failing its children.
The measure creates a Digital Safety Commission and sets penalties of up to 3 percent of global revenue or C$10 million.

1 / 2