Canada’s proposed online-safety rules would place child-protection duties on social media and some chatbot providers; the bill creating the regulator remains at second reading, and no public launch date has been announced.
Bill C-34, formally called the Safe Social Media Act, was introduced June 10, 2026. It would establish the Digital Safety Commission of Canada and bar social media services within its scope from allowing accounts held by people younger than 16. A service could receive an exemption by showing it has safeguards considered sufficient for children. Some AI chatbot services would also carry safety responsibilities. The proposed commission could order services to comply and levy monetary penalties.
Canadian Heritage says online risks are shaped in part by features such as recommendation algorithms, feeds organized around engagement, autoplay and endless scrolling. The proposed duties would fall on regulated services, while children are the intended beneficiaries.
Culture Minister Marc Miller told The Canadian Press on Oct. 22 that the government was moving quickly but gave no date for putting the commission in place. The agency quoted Alex Munter, head of the Canadian Medical Association, saying, “Eighteen months in Ottawa is like three years.”
The Canadian Press attributed an 18-month setup estimate to government officials. The Associated Press separately reported that Miller said setting up the regulator could take up to 18 months. Neither report described a published implementation schedule.
A companion bill, C-36, introduced June 15, would add privacy responsibilities to the proposed commission and rename it the Digital Safety and Data Protection Commission of Canada.
Australia’s restrictions for covered social media platforms took effect Dec. 10, 2025. In a March 2026 update, the eSafety Commissioner reported that some platforms had steered under-16 users toward age-assurance checks, with some allowing repeated attempts. Investigations were continuing.
Parliament’s tracker lists Bill C-34 at second reading and gives no date for its next stage.
