More than two-thirds of Canadians support banning access to social media and AI chatbots for children under 16, a poll indicates.
Seventy per cent of respondents to the Leger poll said they support age restrictions for social media like Instagram and TikTok, and nearly the same number, 69 per cent, support restricting AI chatbots like ChatGPT.
"Concern from Canadians is pretty high," noted Andrew Enns, Leger's executive vice-president for Central Canada.
Overall, more than 80 per cent of respondents said they are concerned about the potential negative impact social media and AI chatbots could have on children and teenagers.
While the poll didn’t ask what was driving the worries, Enns said potential factors could include recent U.S. court verdicts that found Meta and Google liable for harms to children, and the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. that has drawn questions around the shooter’s use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The idea of implementing age restrictions for social media has gained momentum globally since Australia became the first country to implement a ban last December.
In the poll, those with kids under the age of 16 were somewhat less keen on the idea of age restrictions, with 27 per cent opposing such measures, compared to 20 per cent among those who do not have children of that age.
The online poll of 1,848 respondents was conducted between May 1 and May 4. The Canadian Research Insights Council, an industry organization that promotes polling standards, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.
Ottawa has promised to implement an online harms bill that could include age restrictions for access to social media, and the government is also considering whether to include AI chatbots in the legislation.
Culture Minister Marc Miller, who is taking the lead on the promised bill, said last week regulation of social media falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government. He made the comments after Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said his government will move to ban children from using social media accounts and artificial intelligence chatbots.
Enns said Miller should take away from the poll that “Canadians are quite seized by the issue.” Miller should also note there is equal concern about social media and AI chatbots, and a preference for a national approach, Enns said.
Most of the respondents to the poll, 55 per cent, said regulating access to social media should be the federal government’s responsibility. In comparison, 24 per cent said it should be a provincial decision, while 21 per cent said they didn’t know.
Many were skeptical the social media and AI companies would be able to enforce such a ban. Sixty per cent of respondents said they weren’t confident the online platforms could implement effective age verification and enforcement measures.
Just under 40 per cent said they were concerned banning youth from using AI chatbots could "limit their access to useful tools for learning, communication or creativity."
