Ottawa To Ban Children Under 16 From Social Media, Forces Tech Industry To Find New Victims

The federal government is expected to introduce legislation this week banning Canadians under 16 from social media, prompting concern among technology companies that they may soon lose access to one of their most reliable sources of engagement: children.

The proposed law would prevent minors from using platforms whose growth strategies have largely consisted of identifying adolescent insecurities and converting them into advertising opportunities.

Companies will be permitted to seek exemptions if they can demonstrate an ability to keep young users safe while using products deliberately engineered to maximize screen time, encourage compulsive behaviour, and harvest personal data at industrial scale.

Supporters of the legislation say the exemption process could incentivize platforms to redesign features that reward outrage, anxiety, social comparison, and endless scrolling.

The bill will not apply to AI chatbots, ensuring Canadian teenagers remain free to receive emotional support from technology firms that have replaced “collecting your data” with “collecting your data while pretending to be your friend.”

Industry leaders welcomed the flexibility, noting that if children can no longer be addicted directly, there is still tremendous growth potential in making their parents miserable.

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