As Australia bans social media for children, Quebec is paying close attention
CTV
As Australia moves to ban social media for children under 16, Quebec is debating whether to follow suit.
As Australia moves to ban social media for children under 16, Quebec is debating whether to follow suit.
The provincial government decided last spring to study the possibility of setting a minimum age for social media accounts, following a push from the youth wing of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).
But a committee examining the issue has been hearing mixed opinions on the idea, with some experts suggesting a ban would be difficult to enforce and could do more harm than good.
The Australian Senate passed a social media ban for children under 16 on Thursday, which is set to become a world-first law.
The ban could be a model for other jurisdictions looking to combat the mental health impacts of social media use among young people.
The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to $45 million for failing to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.
“We were happy to see this measure approved by the Australian government. It gave us hope for what we proposed,” Aurélie Diep, president of the youth wing of the CAQ, said in an interview. “So for us, it is very positive news.”
