National Advocacy

Social Media is fueling a youth mental health crisis.

Canada has introduced legislation to raise the Social Media Age to 16.

Bill C-34 is now before Parliament.

Sign our Call To Action, help ensure it becomes law.

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Call to Action: Raise the age of Social Media Access To 16

Age gate supporters:

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“Digital platforms are taking advantage of children’s vulnerabilities...

Regulating digital platforms - including age restrictions - will keep children safer and healthier online.”

— Dr. Charlotte Moore Hepburn, Child Health Policy Accelerator at SickKids

Data Shows the Crisis

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31% of Canadian teen girls are compulsive users, 35+hrs/week on social media.

(CAMH)

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48% of teens say social media is “mostly negative” for teens.

(Pew Research)

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The time it takes to form a TikTok addiction, according to state investigators.

(NPR)

Peer Countries Are Already Acting

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84% of Canadians Agree Children Should Be 16+ to Join Social Media

— Source: Ipsos (2025)

Because puberty. Research shows ages 11–15 are when youth are most vulnerable to social media harms. Other countries worldwide are setting similar age limits to delay access until 15 or 16 years old.
Most say yes. 82%of Canadian teens 16-19 years old support social media age restrictions, according to an Ipsos poll (July 2026). Other research found similar results. 76% of teens 14-17 years old support age restrictions on social media in the Quebec Select Committee Report (May 2025).
Social media platforms are responsible for preventing underage kids from creating accounts. Enforcement combines:
- Privacy-preserving age restriction technologies (i.e., that do not save or share data, and is used only for access)
- Media company penalties for non-compliance.
Similar verification already works in other countries and other industries today.
Community matters. But social media’s design often increases cyberbullying, hate speech, and even radicalization for vulnerable youth. This law ensures any online communities they join are safer and healthier.
The legislation strengthens youth privacy rights:
- Bans the share/sale of minors’ data, limiting profiling and ad targeting.
- Age restriction technology uses minimal data that is not stored.
We want Canada to raise children’s privacy rights to international standards.
Free expression means freedom from manipulation by addictive digital design. These platforms limit youth freedom more than enhance them.
- 82% of Gen Z call social media “addicting”, according to a 2024 Harris Poll.
- TikTok’s own documents show it can become addictive after just 35 minutes.
We already won’t let kids drive and gamble because the potential for harm is too great. Kids deserve to be given products that are safe for them.
Education is essential. And insufficient, given that social media platforms are designed to addict (likes, infinite scroll, variable rewards, etc.) and mounting research shows its harms last.
Education + platform accountability + protective guardrails delaying exposure to 16 is the most effective approach.
Yes, this matters. It is addressed in bill C-34 too, including requirements for safer design standards. We agree the solution requires layered approaches — like road safety, where we engineer safer cars (platform accountability), set ages for driving (age minimums), and teach driver's education (digital literacy).
We recognize that age minimums are one piece of a broader child online safety solution. We also support digital literacy, platform accountability measures, and protections against emerging tech threats like AI-generated deepfakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Bill C-34 was tabled in June. MPs will now debate the legislation and may propose changes.

Public support shows that Canadians want the age minimum in the final legislation.

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