Status: Passed 1st reading in the House of Commons
Description: Bill C-34 would ban social media for young people under 16, implement age-verification for pornography, and place duties on operators of online services to act responsibly by mitigating the risk of exposure to “harmful content.” It would also require the removal of illegal pornography within 24 hours of being identified.
Analysis: The government is right to try to prevent children from accessing pornography and other truly damaging content online and to hold operators of online services accountable for failing to comply with the law. However, the biggest challenges with Bill C-34 are (a) the potential for ideologically biased interpretations of what constitutes harmful content, especially what may be considered to “foment hatred”, and (b) the extent to which it leaves specifics to future regulations. For more about this bill, read Will the Safe Social Media Act Make the Internet Safer?
