Canada Bans Social Media for Under-16s and Expands AI Safety Rules

Canada unveiled the Safe Social Media Act, which would bar anyone under 16 from having a social media account and require platforms to design safer products for children, remove deepfakes and sexually exploitative content, add AI-content labeling, reporting and blocking tools, and implement emergency crisis measures. AI chatbots would not be age-gated, but platforms would be expected to mitigate harmful chatbot content. The Digital Safety Commission of Canada would enforce the rules and can grant exemptions if platforms show sufficient safeguards.