From Global News.

American social psychologist and author Jonathan Heidt spoke at the 2026 Global Progress Action Summit in Toronto on Saturday about the ongoing push in multiple countries to enforce age limits on social media and AI chatbots.

“You focus on the moment of account creation, which is a moment when a child signs a legal contract to give away all of her data and images forever to a predatory company with a gigantic, long terms of service and they’ll know everything about you and they’ll use it.” Heidt said.

Canada currently has proposed legislation that aims to restrict youth access to pornographic material in the form of bill S-209; legislation that has undergone its first reading in the House of Commons on April 30.

“What some people are trying to promote is the idea that those of us who want an age limit – what we really want is a ‘papers please internet,’ like, no, that has nothing to do with it. This is not about regulating the internet. This is about age limits on a certain category of products that are harmful to children,” Heidt added.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced a ban on social media and AI chatbots for children and youth in April, following Australia’s lead with its ban last December. Meanwhile, critics say kids will still find a way around a ban and legislating any form of age verification can result in privacy concerns for all Canadians.

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