Canada had introduced a bill to prohibit the use of social media by minors under 16 years of age, which, unlike other countries, had also included AI chat robots in its regulatory framework. The Digital Security Bill, submitted by Canada, is the most recent initiative in the global government’s fight against the wave of harm to children from online platforms and is more comprehensive than most countries.
The bill is not a one-size-fits-all ban. An online platform can apply for an exemption if it proves that it meets strict security standards. This is intended to encourage enterprises to redesign services rather than simply shield underage users. The Minister of Culture of Canada, Marc Miller, stated that “child safety must not be ignored”.
The first step of the bill is to see the AI chat robot as a child safety issue. The programme will establish a digital regulator to develop safety standards for social media and chat robotic services.
Platforms must identify risks, build age-appropriate designs and provide shielding and reporting tools, some of which have already started to add some of their own tools, such as Meta ‘ s Global Youth Account. In particular, the Act addresses the design of interactive mechanisms, algorithms, automatic play and endless rollings that the Government believes will exacerbate the harm.
The focus on chat robots is not an empty word in Canada. Just a few weeks ago, one of the most serious shootings in history occurred in the country, where the victim ‘ s family sued OpenAI, accusing the company of having learned from the assailant ‘ s ChatGPT dialogue that it was planning the violence but failing to call the police. OpenAI has not yet been found responsible and these allegations have not been substantiated.
Violations of the provisions of the Act are subject to strict penalties of up to 3 per cent or 10 million Canadian dollars (approximately 48 million yuan), whichever is higher. The platform must also remove unacknowledged private photographs within 24 hours of receiving a report.
Australia issued a ban last December, the first country in the world to ban social media for young people under 16 years of age, and about 5 million adolescent accounts have been disabled. Canada builds on this, not only by limiting access to users, but also by regulating the design of social media and chat robots.
While stringent, the question was whether policies could be effectively implemented. Australian regulators found that about 70 per cent of underage users retained account numbers despite large-scale cancellations.
Canada’s C-34 bill has a long way to go. Officials indicated that it might take one year for the bill to be passed and 18 months for the establishment of a regulatory body. Similar restrictions are being weighed by France, Denmark, Poland and Greece, and the results will therefore be closely followed outside Ottawa.
