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CP NewsAlert: Ottawa moves to bar kids under 16 from social media, regulate chatbots

  • Anja Karadeglija

  • Canadian Press

  • June 10, 2026

A Muslim group and Culture Minister Marc Miller are decrying an alleged attack on an imam of a mosque in Victoria. Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture speaks during a Gen(Z)AI Plenary Convening fireside chat in Ottawa, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA -- The Liberal government's new online safety legislation would force social media platforms to block access for kids under 16.

The government says social media platforms can obtain an exemption if they have put in place sufficient safeguards.

Platforms that offer adult content would not be able to obtain an exemption.

The bill introduced in the House of Commons today would also regulate the companies behind AI chatbots by imposing on them a duty to act responsibly through measures like crisis intervention protocols.

The legislation would create a new regulator, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada.

The bill covers seven types of harmful content, including content that induces a child to harm themselves, content that incites violence and foments hatred and non-consensual intimate content.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.