Canada’s proposed social media ban for children under 16 comes with an obvious question: how exactly do you prove someone's age? That question is at the centre of Bill C-34, introduced by the federal government in June. The legislation would require social media platforms to block users under 16, but it does not put forward a clear way for companies to determine someone’s age.
As other countries have discovered, an age gate is only as effective as the system behind it, and the options currently being considered all involve some combination of inconvenience, privacy concerns and opportunities to cheat.
One approach is facial age estimation, where a user takes a live selfie and has software estimate their age. It does not necessarily require a government ID, but it involves biometric information and can be less accurate for some people. As anyone who got into bars and clubs while still underage knows, a 16-year-old who looks 18 could present a problem.
The second option is to verify age through an existing relationship with a bank, cellphone provider or other company. The advantage is that those organizations may already have reliable information about their customers. The downside, however, is evident: many do not have credit cards, phone contracts or other adult accounts. And with younger and younger children having access to devices bought by their parents, this could easily be circumvented.
Digital ID is a more targeted solution that is being worked on. Instead of handing over a birthdate or identification document, a system could simply confirm that a person is above the required age. The European Union is working on developing a technology designed to work this way. But introducing a government-backed digital ID system in Canada could create its own political and privacy battles.
Australia, which has introduced a similar law in 2025, provides perhaps the clearest warning about what happens after the rules are introduced. Its under-16 restrictions have led to millions of social media accounts being removed or restricted, but authorities reported that a substantial number of children still retained access. Facial age estimation has also shown weaknesses around the age threshold. And kids today are so tech-savvy a teenager could use an older friend’s account, borrow a parent’s credentials or access the internet through a VPN that makes the website believe they are located somewhere the restrictions do not apply.
France has also voted on a similar measure, which was blocked by the Constitutional Council, who judged the law too broad.
France’s experience with online pornography, however, offers useful insight for Canada. Under rules strengthened in 2024, pornographic sites must verify that users are 18 or older, with France’s regulator, Arcom, setting technical requirements for the systems. One model involves a third-party age-verification provider confirming a user’s age without necessarily telling the porn site who that person is. Other approaches can include checking a bank card or using an identity document, although France has pushed for systems that offer stronger privacy protections. The regulator’s framework is built around a principle known as “double anonymity”: the service verifying someone’s age should not know what content they are accessing, while the porn site should not receive unnecessary information about the person’s identity.
The system has already forced changes. After Arcom threatened sites with blocking and other sanctions, all 17 porn sites targeted by a 2025 government order had either introduced age verification or left France. By February 2026, Arcom said 12-to-17-year-olds were spending 35 per cent less time on monitored sites than a year earlier.
By far, the privacy question is the most concerning. Canada’s privacy commissioner has warned that poorly designed age-assurance systems could expose people to data breaches or create new forms of online surveillance. Marc Miller, Canada's Minister of Culture, said there would be "a back and forth with platforms as to what protects people’s privacy." Bill C-34 is still early in the legislative process, and no date has been set for a final vote. If passed, the legislation would still require Senate approval and royal assent before being enforced.
