Canada's Liberal Party is taking aim at social media's grip on young people, with grassroots members voting to push for age restrictions that could reshape how teenagers interact online.
At the party's national convention in Montreal this weekend, members overwhelmingly supported two major resolutions targeting digital platforms and artificial intelligence. The moves signal growing alarm within political circles about the mental health toll these technologies are taking on Canadian youth.
What the Liberals Are Proposing
The first resolution calls for legislation mirroring Australia's recent approach: setting a minimum age of 16 for social media account creation and placing legal responsibility on tech companies to enforce age restrictions. The second would ban anyone under 16 from accessing AI chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
According to the resolutions, these platforms have been linked to reduced face-to-face peer interaction, exposure to sexual exploitation, and in some tragic cases, harmful mental health outcomes among vulnerable youth.
"These technologies have been shown to limit desire for interaction with peers, pushed some young people into sexual conversations and have even recommended suicide to vulnerable youth," the AI chatbot resolution stated.
Political Support, Expert Caution
Quebec MP Rachel Bendayan, who championed the social media restriction, expressed optimism that the vote would spark meaningful national conversation.
"I think we are intelligent enough as a population here in Canada to have a very serious debate about how we can protect young people online," Bendayan said. "That conversation should include young people themselves."
However, not all experts support a blanket ban. Taylor Owen, the Beaverbrook Chair in Ethics, Media and Communications at McGill University and advisor to Ottawa's online safety panel, warns that restrictions alone won't solve the problem.
"It's punishing the kids for something that's our fault. They didn't cause these problems. The problems are designed into the products they're using," Owen told reporters.
Owen argues that tech companies deliberately create addictive, unsafe products and that governments have failed to regulate them. He also points out that outright bans could backfire—teenagers may simply migrate to private, less-monitored platforms where they face even greater risks.
What Comes Next?
While party resolutions carry symbolic weight and can influence future policy discussions, they don't automatically become law. Prime Minister Carney has indicated the age-of-majority concept for social media is under review, but concrete legislation remains uncertain.
The debate reflects a broader shift in how Canadian politicians view tech regulation. As parents, educators, and health professionals report rising anxiety, depression, and self-harm among digitally connected youth, pressure is mounting for action—though experts remain divided on whether age bans or comprehensive product regulation is the better path forward.
This article is based on reporting by CBC Calgary and the Canadian Press. Original story by Michael Torres, CBC News.