Content Creators Are Speaking Out to Fix The Social Media Act: Prevent Online Harms Instead of Facilitating Them!

Bill C-34, the so-called "Safe Social Media Act”, brings platform accountability through a 'duty of care for harms their systems encourage' – and a social media ban for teenagers enforced by privacy-invasive age verification for every Canadian. We connected with content creators to spread the word about what this legislation gets right and wrong, and ask their audiences to speak up to fix the bill.

People are starting to speak out about online harms in Canada and what we need to change in Bill C-34, the “Safe Social Media Act”, to get things right. The bill was introduced on June 10 this year and government orders have continued debate in the House. As of November, it is in its second reading at Parliament and will soon reach committee for consideration of amendments.

The bill is Canada’s latest attempt to create new rules for social media platforms, AI chatbots, and other online services. At its core, it recognizes an important principle most of us can agree with: large technology companies should be responsible for the foreseeable risks created by the systems they design and profit from. The problem? It also includes demanding proof of your age to access much of the Internet, opening the door to many more data breaches and daily surveillance. 

As OpenMedia we started a project to spread awareness about the bill, the good, the bad and what needs to be fixed within. We engaged with Canadian content creators and youth representatives to ask them to help us get people involved and writing to our Members of Parliament to amend the proposal.

Carmscrolls: “Bill C34 has so much potential, but we need to drop the privacy-invasive age verification!”

We partnered with Carmen Vicente, a social media strategist in tech. In her video, she explains that the main goals of this bill are positive, protecting young people online and making platforms more accountable. 

However, Vicente also explains that “it bundles real wins like platform accountability and this ‘duty of care’, with a blanket age-verification, under 16 ban that risks turning social media platforms into ID check points. Meaning everyone, not just young people might have to scan their face or provide government ID to access everyday, online spaces. And as of yet, there is no age verification technology that is proven privacy protective. Though safe solutions keep emerging, then having data leaks.” She calls for fixing the bill before it’s too late!

Watch Carmen Vicente’s explanatory video:

Brittlestar: “Stop algorithms from aggressively recommending harmful content to kids, or actually anyone” 

Stewart Reynolds, better known as Ontario comedian Brittlestar, also shares his vision about the bill. He riffs: “So I guess to stop social media companies from collecting too much information about us… we may need to give them more information about us? And obviously there’s absolutely no possible downside to putting even more sensitive personal information into systems on the internet.”

Reynolds explains that “there are things the social media companies could actually do. Stop algorithms from aggressively recommending harmful content to kids, or actually anyone? Give people better blocking and reporting tools. Make privacy settings safer by default. Maybe don’t design everything to keep a 13-year-old scrolling until they’re 46.” He welcomes people to Bill C-34 and calls to fix it by taking action and write to our MPs. 

Check out Brittlestar’s video:

Hassancanadabi: “Tell your MP fix Bill C-34, keep platform accountability, and drop the invasive age checks and youth ban”

Up and coming Albertan social commentator, Hassan Pirbhai, published a deep analysis of the bill, sharing his thoughts at length. Hassan says: “When it comes to protecting our most vulnerable youth, this bill actually leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to perpetuating predatory corporate and social media company behaviour, while also gatekeeping vulnerable populations, social media company behaviour”. 

As he sees it,Canada’s Safe Social Media Act “is well-intentioned, but has a few things we might be right to question, especially surrounding the possibilities of: A) increasing our exposure to data breaches; and B) cutting off vital lifelines for vulnerable youth.” He is partnering with us for this video too, and here is his call to action: “Before Bill C-34 is locked into law, you can use this pre-written template (feel free to edit it as you choose), to email your MP to keep the platform Duty of Care, whilst better handling the other issues.” 

Review Hassancanadabi’s analysis video: 

Isabella Wen and Youth Perspectives 

Isabella Wen, OpenMedia Youth Ambassador, content creator and University of Toronto student, examines youth perspectives on Bill C-34's age restrictions for social media on an op-ed and also shares her vision through a reel.

In her op-ed, Wen emphasizes that after you turn sixteen, you do not suddenly understand how an algorithm decides what you see. “You do not become immune to scams, harassment, or a fabricated intimate image. Yet an age threshold has become a central part of Canada’s proposed answer to keeping young people safe online.” She adds that "before we decide who can enter, we should ask what we are requiring platforms to become."

Wen says that “the government’s explanation of the Safe Social Media Act states that ‘online harms are not only the result of individual behaviour’. It identifies recommendation systems and endless scrolling among the design features that can amplify harm. That recognition matters. It should carry through to how success of the bill is measured.” She adds that “if young people lose their accounts while the mechanisms exposing users to harm remain intact, we should question how much safety has been achieved. What happens when they turn 16? What protections exist for those who continue accessing platforms despite the restriction?”

You can watch Isabella Wen’s video here: 

Take action: Write your MP to Fix Bill C-34!

OpenMedia’s 2026 Digital Safety community survey shows that approximately 89% of our community want greater control over their data and privacy in Canada’s approach to online safety. At the same time, about 83% of us want platforms to disclose how they protect user data, and 74% want disclosure of how algorithms work. By comparison, only approximately 23% selected age restrictions as an approach Canada should prioritize.

We believe Parliament can fix Bill C-34 and build safer online spaces without turning every user's identity into a compliance checkpoint! Canada should hold platforms accountable for the impact their design choices have on user safety and privacy, and make them clean up shady scams and surveillance on their services. Join the debate and tell your MP to fix online platforms, without banning or surveilling users!