Introduced in June 2026 by Canadian Culture Minister Marc Miller, Bill C-34 would ban social media for users under 16.

In the past year alone, tech giants have spread a slew of problematic content, including TikTok posts promoting extreme thinness, ads for cocaine on Facebook and sexually explicit deepfakes created by the Grok chatbot and shared on X.

Bill C-34 raises a key question: Are we merely trying to keep children away from these platforms, or do we also want to transform the digital environments they use?

As an associate professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal’s School of Media and a doctoral student who has been studying social media for several years, I have looked closely at these issues.

Regulating tech giants

Beyond simply banning children’s access to social media, the proposed legislation would regulate certain online services, holding providers accountable for them, and restrict access to content deemed harmful. It would apply to social media, as well as chatbots, porn websites and live-streaming platforms.

Bill C-34 would force platform operators to take a number of measures: implement age verification or estimation measures, reduce the risk of exposure to hateful or violent content, provide blocking and reporting tools, identify posts generated by artificial intelligence and incorporate safer design mechanisms.

In addition, the most problematic content — particularly that related to the sexual exploitation and victimization of minors — would have to be rendered inaccessible within 24 hours of being reported.

To enforce these measures, the bill would establish the Digital Safety Commission of Canada. This organization would handle complaints, have investigative powers and be able to impose sanctions in accordance with rules set by the government.

However, some activities would be excluded from the proposed framework, including private messaging services, online video games and search engines. Some platforms could also be exempted if they demonstrate that they have implemented the necessary........

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