Ottawa introduces bills to ban kids under 16 from social media and overhaul privacy law

Ottawa introduced a suite of digital legislation in the final weeks of the spring parliamentary sitting, including a social media ban for children under 16, a new privacy bill, and a national AI strategy backed by $2.3 billion in funding. The bills also create a new enforcement body, the Digital Safety and Data Protection Commission, and impose duties on platforms and AI companies to protect children and remove harmful content.

Bill C-34, tabled June 10, requires social media platforms to block access for users under 16 unless they implement safeguards that satisfy the new regulator. Platforms offering adult content cannot qualify for an exemption. Culture Minister Marc Miller said the government will have "a back and forth with platforms as to what protects people's privacy and what is adequate and sufficient in the circumstances."

Many specifics remain undecided. The federal cabinet will issue a directive defining which platforms fall under the law once it passes. The regulator will then assess whether the age-verification methods companies deploy are effective and respect privacy. No single verification technique is mandated in the bill.

AI chatbots face different rules than social media

The digital safety bill imposes a duty to act responsibly on companies behind AI chatbots, including measures to reduce harmful content and crisis intervention protocols for self-harm or violence. It does not impose an outright age ban on chatbots. Miller said chatbots "play a function and a role that can be very damaging towards kids, but can also play an important function in the educational system and in the AI strategy that we are putting forward."

The same legislation requires social media platforms to remove two categories of content within 24 hours: material that sexually victimizes a child or re-victimizes a survivor, and non-consensual intimate images. Platforms must also label synthetically generated content and make it easy for users to flag harmful material and block other users.

Privacy bill recognizes a fundamental right

Bill C-36, introduced June 15, recognizes privacy as a fundamental right and requires organizations to follow higher standards when managing children's data. It also mandates transparency around automated decision-making for significant decisions about individuals. The bill includes a right to deletion, which Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said will cover deepfakes.

The new Digital Safety and Data Protection Commission will enforce both laws. It can issue binding orders and levy fines of up to $25 million or five per cent of global revenue for the most serious offences - powers the federal privacy commissioner has sought for years. The commission is expected to take 18 months to set up, meaning full enforcement is unlikely before 2028.

On surveillance pricing, the practice of using algorithms to set individualized prices from personal data, Solomon said one of his first acts after the bill passes will be to direct the regulator to issue guidance defining it and to ensure rewards programs are not swept in. The term itself does not appear in the legislative text.

Deepfakes and non-consensual images targeted

A separate bill passed this week criminalizes non-consensual sexual deepfakes. A House committee amended Bill C-16 to cover "nearly nude" images after experts warned the original language likely would not apply to many deepfakes created by Elon Musk's Grok chatbot that spread on X earlier this year. The privacy bill's right to deletion also gives individuals a mechanism to request removal of their personal information from organizations.

AI strategy and streamer funding shift

On June 4, the government unveiled a national AI strategy with $2.3 billion in new and expanded funding. It includes a literacy initiative to offer entry-level AI training to all Canadians and a commitment to ensure post-secondary students have access to trusted AI agents. The strategy projects up to 90,000 AI-related jobs for young people and 250,000 new jobs through AI adoption by 2031.

Separately, Ottawa directed the CRTC to back down from a decision to triple the financial contributions streamers like Netflix must make toward Canadian content. It will instead provide $600 million in annual funding directly to the sector. The move followed pressure from the Motion Picture Association and the U.S. ambassador to Canada, who had called for the policy to be rescinded.

Why this matters for government professionals

The new legislative package shifts enforcement of digital privacy and safety rules to a single commission with significant fining power, a structure that will require policy, legal, and operational staff to interpret and apply. With cabinet directives still to come and an 18-month setup window, departments and agencies have time to assess how the rules affect their own data practices, procurement of AI tools, and public-facing digital services. For those building internal expertise, resources like an AI Learning Path for Policy Makers can help connect the legislative framework to practical implementation in government contexts.