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Canada Safe Social Media Act (Bill C-34)

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Law & policy information
Name
Safe Social Media Act
Jurisdiction
Canada (federal)
Instrument type
Government bill
Bill / legal citation
C-34, 45th Parliament, 1st session[1]
Legislative or adoption status
At House committee consideration; proposed[1]
Effective dates
Not enacted[1]
Last source verification
November 4, 2026: parliamentary status; substantive text and policy analysis last reviewed September 21, 2026

Canada’s Safe Social Media Act (Bill C-34) is a proposed federal digital-safety regime covering social media and chatbot services.[2]

Scope and proposed duties

Covered chatbot operators would have to mitigate harmful content and deceptive or manipulative behaviour, interrupt specified crisis interactions to direct users to human crisis services, and submit digital safety plans.[2]

Age restrictions and exemptions

The proposed under-16 account restriction applies to social-media services specified by regulation. Section 29 permits conditional exemptions where the Commission finds adequate child safeguards. Age assurance would limit information use and require destruction after verification or estimation.[2]

Policy discussion

In September 21 analysis, John Matheson argues that safety-based exemptions could reward safer platform design. He advocates defining safety standards early and improving interoperability. These are the author’s policy proposals.[3]

Timeline

Introduced June 10, 2026. On October 29, the House agreed to the second-reading motion on division and referred Bill C-34 to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.[4] LEGISinfo, checked November 4, lists the bill at committee consideration, with no committee activity recorded there; report stage, third reading and Senate stages have not been reached. The bill remains proposed, not enacted.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Parliament of Canada, LEGISinfo, C-34 (45-1), complete current status and progress record reviewed November 4, 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Parliament of Canada, Bill C-34, first reading June 10, 2026; proposed Digital Safety Act §§ 27–29 and 48–58.
  3. ↑ John Matheson, Tech Policy Press, “Canada Is Not Banning Teenagers from Social Media — It’s Trying Something New,” September 21, 2026; opinion analysis.
  4. ↑ House of Commons, Journals No. 158, October 29, 2026, Government Orders: second reading and referral of Bill C-34; reviewed November 4, 2026.
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