Quick answer: Bill C-34, the proposed Safe Social Media Act, would require social media services and AI chatbot providers operating in Canada to prevent harm to users, especially children, before it happens. It would set a minimum age of 16 for social media accounts, create a new Digital Safety Commission, and allow fines of up to the greater of $20 million or 5% of global revenue. As of October 2026 it is not law: it was introduced on June 10, 2026 and is at second reading in the House of Commons.

Key takeaways for founders: If you are building a social platform, a community app with user posts, or a consumer generative AI chatbot, start designing for safety, age assurance and transparency now. Whether the law will apply to you depends on user thresholds and regulations that have not been written yet, so nothing here is a current legal obligation.

What is Bill C-34?

On June 10, 2026, the federal government introduced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act. If passed, it would enact a new Digital Safety Act and create the Digital Safety Commission of Canada to set standards, handle complaints and enforce the rules. The government describes the goal as making services "safe by design" instead of reacting to harmful content after it spreads.

The Bill sits alongside other federal proposals affecting tech companies, including Bill C-36, the proposed replacement for parts of PIPEDA. Neither is in force yet.

Which companies would Bill C-34 apply to?

The Bill targets three kinds of services: social media services (including livestreaming and services hosting user-uploaded adult content), AI chatbot services, and other online services where users interact through a website or app. A service would need to exceed a user threshold, but that number will be set by regulation and has not been published, so the reach of the law is still unclear (Torys summary).

What would social media platforms have to do?

Regulated social media operators would have a duty to protect children and a duty to act responsibly. In practice that means:

• Assessing and reducing users' exposure to seven categories of harmful content, including bullying of children, content that encourages self-harm, hate, and incitement to violence.
• Building child-safety features into product design and keeping records to prove compliance.
• Giving users accessible tools to flag harmful content and block other users.
• Labelling synthetic or AI-generated content.
• Publishing a digital safety plan.
• Making certain content inaccessible quickly, including child sexual exploitation material and intimate images shared without consent, including sexual deepfakes.

Operators would also have to set a minimum account age of 16, with possible exemptions for platforms that show they have adequate protections for children.

What about AI chatbots?

AI chatbot providers would have to mitigate the risk that their chatbot produces harmful content or engages in harmful conduct, and put emergency measures in place for crisis situations, such as a user expressing intent to harm themselves or others. Harmful conduct listed in the Bill includes impersonating a human or a licensed professional, using manipulative engagement techniques, and encouraging self-harm.

For a startup building an AI companion, a mental health or coaching bot, or any consumer-facing assistant, those are product decisions, not just policy decisions. They also overlap with what your AI terms of use and acceptable use policy should already say about prohibited uses, human review and crisis escalation.

How would age verification work?

The Bill allows companies to collect and use personal information for age assurance and requires those measures to be effective, but it does not say which methods are acceptable. That will come from future regulations, which must be published in the Canada Gazette for comment. For founders, the tension is real: you may need to confirm users are 16 or older without collecting more personal information than you need, which is itself a privacy obligation under PIPEDA and Québec's Law 25.

What are the penalties?

The Commission could audit services, hold hearings, issue compliance orders enforceable in Federal Court, and impose penalties of up to the greater of 5% of global gross revenue or $20 million. Penalties would be calculated on worldwide revenue, not only Canadian sales.

Is Bill C-34 law yet?

No. According to LEGISinfo, the Bill completed first reading on June 10, 2026 and is at second reading in the House of Commons. It still needs to pass both the House and the Senate, and the Commission would need to be set up before enforcement could begin. Its content may change along the way, and critics have raised concerns about privacy and over-moderation (The Conversation).

What should Canadian tech founders do now?

You do not need to treat the Bill as law. But if your product lets users post, message or talk to an AI, a few steps now will save a redesign later:

• Map where minors could use your product and what age signals you already collect.
• Review your reporting, blocking and moderation tools and how quickly you act on reports.
• Decide how you will label AI-generated content and disclose that users are talking to AI.
• Update your terms of service and privacy policy so they match how moderation, age checks and AI features actually work.
• Document your safety decisions; a written risk assessment is the foundation of a future digital safety plan.

FAQ

Will Bill C-34 ban TikTok or Instagram for kids under 16?

It would require social media services above the user threshold to set 16 as the minimum account age, unless they qualify for an exemption by showing adequate child protections. It is a proposal, so nothing changes until it passes and comes into force.

Does Bill C-34 apply to my small AI startup?

Possibly not, at least at first. Coverage depends on user thresholds that regulations will set. Startups building consumer chatbots should still plan for the safety duties, because they reflect where regulators and app stores are heading.

Is Bill C-34 the same as the Online Harms Act?

No. The earlier Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) died when Parliament was prorogued in January 2025. Bill C-34 is a new bill introduced in the current Parliament, with a different structure and a new focus on AI chatbots.

Building a social, community or AI chatbot product? For Founders Law drafts AI terms of use, acceptable use policies and AI disclosures, terms of service and privacy policies, and SaaS agreements for Canadian tech companies at a fixed fee. Book a free consultation.

Sources: LEGISinfo, Bill C-34; Canadian Heritage news release (June 10, 2026); Safe Social Media Act overview; Torys LLP; The Conversation.

By Brooke Ash, BA, JD, founder of For Founders Law PC, licensed by the Law Society of Ontario. Last reviewed October 26, 2026. General information only, not legal advice. Related reading: startup, AI and tech law glossary.