Minister says Ottawa is ‘very seriously’ considering youth social media ban - BERITAJA

The national authorities is “very seriously” considering introducing a social media ban for kids, Culture Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday, days aft statement members voted successful favour of a specified a ban at the Liberal statement convention.

“I respect and admit the activity that’s been done and the interest wherever that argumentation connection came from,” Miller told reporters connected Parliament Hill.

“The grassroots person spoken. We do person to study that.”

In Montreal connected Saturday, statement members passed a non-binding solution calling connected the authorities to group 16 arsenic the minimum age for access to social media accounts.

A ban could beryllium an important instrumentality but it’s not a solution to the bigger problem of online harms, Miller said.

“I do deliberation it could beryllium an important layer, but it has to beryllium seen arsenic that and not arsenic the reply to everything. Online harms don’t extremity arsenic soon arsenic you move 15 aliases 16 aliases 17,” he said.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the authorities would return the will of the normal into consideration.

“Our policies are informed by a scope of different stakeholders, including what group astatine conventions say. And this was a normal pinch complete 4,500 people, a very loud sound and a very significant voice, but we’ve besides heard from Canadians from seashore to seashore to coast,” Anandasangaree told reporters.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the authorities is considering a number of different options. He added the authorities takes statement of statement members’ decisions, but isn’t bound by them.

“We would springiness it the information that it deserves, but we want to make judge that we person the afloat use of the heavy argumentation proposal from group whose full-time occupation it is to understand the consequences,” he said.

“Resolutions that are adopted by the statement evidently person a wide guidelines of governmental support, but they aren’t needfully benefiting from the aforesaid level of proposal and consideration.”

Last December, Australia became the first state to walk a rule enforcing property limits on social media accounts. The thought has since gained traction elsewhere.

The EU has developed an property verification app that will beryllium available for use soon, Reuters reported Wednesday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the app will require users to upload their passport aliases ID paper to corroborate their property anonymously, the news agency reported.

It noted astatine ​least a twelve European countries are considering or person put successful spot authorities that sets a minimum age for social media use.

In Canada, the national authorities plans to present an online harms measure and is consulting pinch an master advisory group connected what the authorities should look like. Miller, who is taking the lead connected the file, declined to springiness a timeline for introducing the bill.

The government’s move to see property restrictions for social media and chatbots received support from Conservative and NDP MPs Wednesday.

Conservative MP Michael Barrett said it’s an important mobility and a committee study “where we could perceive from experts, alternatively of simply a proclamation from authorities aliases from group successful the manufacture about what they deliberation it should look like, is the champion measurement to proceed pinch it.”

NDP parliamentary leader Don Davies said each genitor successful the state is worried about their kids accessing inappropriate contented online, and location is simply a need for government regularisation successful this space.

While he said he didn’t want to remark specifically connected property restrictions, Davies added, “I cognize immoderate different countries are moving successful that direction, truthful I deliberation it’s thing Canada should look at.”

The authorities is leaving it to the master group to measurement successful connected whether the authorities should besides screen entree to AI chatbots, Miller said.

“The much these things go prevalent and group person entree to them and they are successful truth causing harm, past you consciousness the group that are supporting these platforms aliases the owners of these chatbots person a responsibility,” he said.

On Saturday, the Liberals besides adopted a akin non-binding solution to group property restrictions for AI chatbots.