Alberta’s government says it’s waiting to see what Ottawa decides when it comes to restricting youth access to social media.
Online safety advocates are hoping other governments will put their own limitations in place after Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced his government will ban “social media and AI chatbots” for youth and children in Manitoba.
“Currently, these apps and spaces online are not meant for children. They’re not built with child safety in mind,” said Kirsten Sweet with Unplugged Canada’s Edmonton and area chapter.
“We really feel having some legislation will help protect children.”
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“We are exploring options to modernize Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act to strengthen the privacy rights of all Albertans, including the unique needs of children and youth,” Alberta technology and innovation ministry press secretary Jonathan Gauthier said in a statement.
“We are monitoring any provincial or federal developments in this area and will have more to say once federal policy is established.”
Federal Liberal Party members voted in support of setting a social media age limit of 16 at the party’s recent policy convention.
Ontario says it’s also considering a ban, while Saskatchewan says it will be getting feedback on potential measures.
Experts say that implementing policies around such platforms and age usage is not straightforward.
“Enforcement can be a little tricky, so platforms are going to need strong age verification and that can raise privacy concerns,” said Alana Brown, a mental health and addiction recovery instructor at NorQuest College.
Kinew did not provide any details about what ages the law would affect.
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It has nothing to do with the kids and everything to do with tracking adults.
The kids are a convenient “won’t somebody please think of the children!” Slopaganda.
We didn’t allow our kids to have a phone until they were 16. No SM until they turned 18. Back then we called it parenting.