Canadians are signalling strong support for banning social media use among children under 16, following heightened scrutiny of the platforms’ impact on youth and a landmark California ruling labelling Instagram and YouTube deliberately addictive and harmful.A new Angus Reid Institute study finds three-quarters (75%) of Canadians back a full ban for anyone under 16, including 70% of parents with children in the household. Concern over teens’ ability to use social media responsibly is widespread, with 61% of Canadians — and 52% of those with oldest children aged 16 or 17 — saying teens are not capable of responsible use.The study also shows near-universal concern over exposure to misinformation (92%), cyberbullying (90%), explicit content (85%), mental health impacts (94%), and addiction (94%). Parents of kids aged 10 to 15 already impose limits, monitoring apps, activity, or screen time.While most parents welcome a ban, 72% believe regulating social media should be the responsibility of families rather than governments (20%). Among those supporting partial bans, TikTok (88%), X/Twitter (86%), and Snapchat (84%) top the list, while only 48% would ban YouTube.Opinions vary on the right age for social media access. One-third (32%) say 16, while similar numbers support ages 10–12 (13%), 14 (16%), and 15 (13%). One-third of Canadians also say AI companies like OpenAI should report potentially illegal activity to authorities, with 45% saying only illegal activity should trigger reporting, a question intensified by the Tumbler Ridge shooting case.
