B.C. welcomes online safety bill, despite shortfalls, AG Niki Sharma says

Sharma says Culture Minister Marc Miller told her the government wants guidelines that would lay out the responsibility platforms have to report certain content, even though specific requirements aren’t in the bill.

The legislation, introduced as Bill C-34 in the House of Commons on Wednesday, would force social media companies to block access for children under 16, though platforms can get an exemption if they put the appropriate safeguards in place.

The mother of Amanda Todd, a B.C. teenager who took her own life in 2012 after years of cyberbullying and sexual extortion through social media, says it is an important step toward keeping young people safe online.

“This proposed legislation reflects an urgent need to address the realities of online harm — including cyberbullying, exploitation, and coercion — that continue to impact Canadian youth and their families,” Carol Todd wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

She applauded the addition of an independent federal regulator that would enforce the bill through compliance orders and monetary fines.

Todd was one of several prominent online safety advocates who urged the federal government to introduce the bill.

“The lived experiences of survivors and families must remain at the centre of this work,” she wrote in her post.

Sharma said the legislation needs to pass quickly to protect children who are vulnerable to the harms of social media, adding that B.C. wants to be at the table for future discussions.

“Far too long have I sat with families that have experienced real tragedy, who have suffered greatly. And the type of change that we’re seeing in this bill can’t come fast enough,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

B.C. welcomes online safety bill, despite shortfalls, AG Niki Sharma says

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