What to know
- Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to table an Online Harms Act proposal this week that could ban social media use for children aged 16 and under, following its approval as a non-binding Liberal Party policy at the 2026 Liberal National Convention.
- The proposed measure aims to address youth mental health and online safety concerns and mirrors Australia’s 2025 law restricting social media access for users under 16 on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, X, and Facebook.
- Some Toronto residents expressed mixed views, with one noting that social media can both harm young people and help foster connection, while arguing that moderation and censorship measures may be preferable to an outright ban.
- Others supported stricter restrictions, citing personal experiences with social media’s impact on mental health, while some questioned whether a ban alone would be effective without stronger community support systems and mental health resources for youth.
Prime Minister Mark Carney plans to table a bill this week that may ban social media for minors aged 16 and under, as part of the proposed Online Harms Act.
Bill C-63 first loosely discussed the idea in 2024, with Culture Minister Marc Miller initially proposing the ban to be for minors 14-years-old and under. Québec MP Rachel Bendayan then presented it for youth 16 and under at the 2026 Liberal National Convention held in Montréal earlier in April, where the Liberal Party voted in favour of it.
Now, the proposal has become a non-binding Liberal Party policy, which will officially be tabled during Mark Carney’s weekly meeting on Wednesday.
The ban is to address mental health and safety concerns within youth that stem from social media use. It’s similar to one the Australia government implemented in December 2025, making it so children 16-years-old and under wouldn’t be able to keep or make accounts on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, X, and Facebook.
Great idea or gateway to censorship? Canadians are divided
Ahead of the vote, many Canadians in Toronto shared their thoughts on the potential legislation with Now Toronto.
A Toronto resident who goes by Tymia said she was unsure on how to feel about the bill, noting she too grew up using social media at a young age.
‘It’s kind of difficult…” she told Now Toronto. “I was learning a lot, but at the same time maybe too much.”
Tymia believes that those who grew up without social media seemed more open and more advanced in their social skills versus those who were on it from a young age, but she also said social media helped connect people in a different way than what was the norm prior to the internet.
“We connect in a different way now that we’re on the internet,” she said. “I feel like there’s so many more ways to connect with people in general… like memes… different things that just bring us together.”
Tymia added a form of censorship was needed, despite the ban passing or not.
“I don’t know if it’s the best thing to censor everything entirely,” Tymia said.
Another Toronto resident, named Hal, said that while they support a ban, they don’t think the Liberal Government would be able to take on the job.
“I do support putting some restrictions in place for the accessibility of certain social media for minors, I don’t trust the f**king liberals to do that,” they said. “They’re infringing on our rights, they’re taking away our privacy.”
Hal added that with or without social media, they still think people will not be well-adjusted unless they have the proper resources put in place for them.
“Whether you have [social media] or you don’t, people have always been pretty equally f**ked up if they’re not given the right support structures, and if they don’t have good community, they don’t have good mental health support,” they explained. “I think those should be the primary things we tackle, as opposed to reliance on social media by kids, because I think that’s more of a symptom and not necessarily the cause.”
Another Toronto resident, who didn’t provide their name, said they also agreed with the ban.
“What technology is doing to young children can warp their minds, and I think it’s a great idea [to ban social media],” he said. “I know they’re trying to follow what Australia is doing. I think that kind of makes sense.”
The resident also added he knows firsthand the effects social media can have.
“Social media 100 per cent has destroyed my mental health,” he said. “It should be banned for everyone, actually throughout the world.”
