Canada Tables ‘Safe Social Media Act’ Barring Under-16s Unless Platforms Pass Safety Test

Governments have periodically stepped in when new communications media were seen to imperil youth—the 1924 UK Cinematograph Act limited children’s access to films, and the US 1998 COPPA imposed parental-consent rules for websites. Bill C-34 sits in that lineage, signalling a shift from a laissez-faire 2010s social-media era toward a paternalistic, safety-by-design regulatory model that is spreading from Australia to Europe and now North America. While reminiscent of 19th-century child-labor reforms—sacrificing some economic freedom to protect minors—it also revives perennial questions about state overreach and practical enforceability (age-verification, cross-border platforms). On a 100-year arc, the move suggests the internet is maturing into an infrastructure regulated like broadcasting or public utilities; whether this protects mental health or simply pushes youth to unregulated corners will determine if 2026 marks a real inflection point or just another moral-panic detour.