The Canadian government has introduced a legislative framework aimed at mitigating online harms through the regulation of artificial intelligence chatbots and the implementation of social media restrictions for minors under 16.

加拿大政府推出了一項立法框架，旨在透過監管人工智慧聊天機器人，以及對 16 歲以下未成年人實施社交媒體限制，以減輕網路有害內容。

The impetus for this legislative initiative is partially attributed to a failure by OpenAI to report violent content associated with a suspect in a mass casualty event in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Consequently, the bill mandates that AI chatbots incorporate crisis intervention protocols and minimize the accessibility of harmful content. This regulatory shift is accompanied by a proposed ban on social media for individuals under 16, a policy mirroring Australian precedents but diverging in its flexibility. Specifically, the Canadian model utilizes a 'carrot and stick' methodology, wherein platforms may secure exemptions if they demonstrate adherence to 'safe by design' thresholds. These thresholds, to be defined by the Privy Council, may include the implementation of content warnings, the mitigation of addictive interface designs, and the adoption of age-appropriate search settings.

這項立法舉措的動力部分歸因於 OpenAI 未能對卑詩省 Tumbler Ridge 一次大規模傷亡事件中與嫌疑人相關的暴力內容進行申報。因此，該法案要求 AI 聊天機器人必須納入危機干預協定，並盡量降低有害內容的可接觸性。這次監管轉向隨之而來的是一項擬議禁止 16 歲以下人士使用社交媒體的政策，此政策雖效仿澳洲先例，但在靈活性上有所不同。具體而言，加拿大模式採用了「胡蘿蔔與大棒」的方法，若平台能證明其符合「設計安全」的門檻，即可獲得豁免。這些門檻將由樞密院定義，可能包括實施內容警告、減輕令人成癮的介面設計，以及採用符合年齡的搜尋設定。

Institutional implementation is slated to occur via a digital safety commission, expected to be operational 18 months post-legislation. This timeline suggests a transitional period during which no exemptions will be active. Stakeholder positioning remains polarized; while platforms such as Meta and TikTok emphasize their existing safety features and advocate for age verification to be managed by app store providers (e.g., Apple and Google), the government maintains that the primary responsibility for enforcement resides with the social media platforms. Furthermore, academic critics have expressed skepticism regarding the efficacy of these measures, citing the potential for circumvention via Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and the risk that restrictive policies may migrate youth users toward smaller, less regulated, and potentially more hazardous platforms.

制度上的執行將透過一個數位安全委員會來完成，預計在立法通過 18 個月後開始運作。此時間表暗示將有一段過渡期，期間不會有任何豁免生效。利益相關者的立場仍然兩極；雖然如 Meta 和 TikTok 等平台強調其現有的安全功能，並主張由應用程式商店提供商（如 Apple 和 Google）管理年齡驗證，但政府堅持執行主要責任在於社交媒體平台。此外，學術評論者對這些措施的成效表示懷疑，理由是使用者可能會透過虛擬私人網路（VPN）繞過限制，且限制性政策可能會將青少年用戶推向規模較小、監管較少且潛在危險性更高的平台。

The proposed legislation seeks to balance child safety with digital privacy, though its practical efficacy remains contingent upon the definition of safety thresholds and the resolution of enforcement disputes between platforms and app distributors.

擬議的立法旨在平衡兒童安全與數位隱私，但其實際成效仍取決於安全門檻的定義，以及平台與應用程式分發商之間關於執行爭議的解決方案。