Festival brought senator and 12 teens together to discuss the bill
⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️
The Safe Social Media Act is being debated in Parliament.
If passed, it could restrict kids under 16 from using social media.
A senator heard from 12 kids about their thoughts on the law.
2 teens shared what they spoke about.
Keep reading to find out how their thoughts are being taken to Parliament. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Fifteen-year-old Noboni Akhtar from Toronto, Ontario, is conflicted about a new law that would restrict kids under 16 from using social media.
She said she has seen hateful comments that incite racism towards South Asian people on social media and heard them repeated at school, so she hopes that regulations could stop this.
But she doesn’t want to lose access to connecting with her friends and sharing photos through social media with her family abroad, either.
These are some of the points she brought up to Senator Katherine Hay at a discussion that took place at Rally, a digital wellness festival for teens that returned for a second time at Meridian Hall in Toronto, on Oct. 14.
The senator is sponsoring the law called the Safe Social Media Act, or Bill C-34. That means she guides the bill through the legislative process.
Noboni was one of 12 teens who took part in the discussion. She says teens, not adults, need to shape the rules that apply to them when it comes to social media use.
“Adults weren’t raised in a generation where social media was a normal thing,” said Noboni. “It’s like, they don’t know what we’re going through. They don’t even know how social media works themselves. So why are they telling us things? Why are they telling us things that they’ve never experienced?”
Noboni Akhtar, 15, speaking on stage about mental health and digital wellness at Rally on Oct. 14. (Image credit: Robert Okine)
What is Bill C-34?
Bill C-34 was introduced on June 10 to address risks to kids online.
These risks include mental health challenges, like suicide ideation, cyberbulling and sexual exploitation, which are increasing, according to the government of Canada.
The bill would require social media companies to adjust their content or kids under 16 in Canada would be restricted from using their platforms.
To learn more about the bill, click the link below:
Sara Austin, CEO of the group Children First Canada, said the law has a balance of protecting kids and keeping in mind how kids have a right to communicate and share information.
According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child, which Canada agreed to uphold, kids have a right to seek, receive and impart information in the media of their choice.
Austin said Bill 34 is different from the first ban of its kind in Australia, which was enacted in December 2025.
In Australia, kids were banned from all social media platforms right away, but in Canada kids would be allowed to use social media platforms if the companies add safeguards for children.
“If those companies can prove that their products are safe by removing the harmful content, fixing their algorithm so that they’re not exposing young people to grave harms, their products should be made available if they can prove that they can be exempt from the age restrictions,” said Austin.
Children First Canada and UNICEF are two groups working to try to make sure the government considers kids’ voices. They plan to hold focus groups where kids can express their thoughts and concerns about the bill as it moves through Parliament.
(Image credit: Graeme Roy/The Canadian Press)
What did the discussion look like?
A senator’s role in law-making is to review bills, ensure that regional perspectives are represented in the process and pass them.
“That nine-to-15 age group, I think, are underrepresented,” said Hay. “So for me in my role as a senator, I want to make sure I am speaking to the young people [whose] voices aren’t always [heard].”
Bill C-34 is in its second reading, meaning that the main ideas are being debated by parliamentarians. After that, it will go to the committee stage, which is a smaller group of discussions.
“They will literally go clause by clause by clause through that legislation. That’s why it’s important now to have the voices of young people at the start of the committee,” said Hay.
Teens spent about an hour sharing what they think should be considered about social media use in Bill C-34. (Image credit: Robert Okine)
Hay and Brigette Truong, the co-founder of Rally, brought questions about social media to 12 kids during a discussion at the Rally festival.
Charlie Boyle, a 17-year-old from Chester, Nova Scotia, told Hay and Truong that social media is important for connection, especially with her younger peers.
Charlie attends an international school where she is frequently communicating with her friends who are abroad in the summer.
“It’s kind of ingrained in my school’s culture. So it’s kind of hard to step away from that,” she told CBC Kids News, speaking about social media.
“Like, there’s this one girl, she’s in Grade 8, and she’s from Mexico. It’s just so cool to be able to see what she does in her daily life.”
Noboni also said communicating with her family in Bangladesh through messaging platforms like Whatsapp is just not the same as social media.
“It’’s kind of straightforward, like it’s a call or a text,” she said, “but with a video-sharing platform like TikTok or Instagram, you can actually share things and build a community with interests and hobbies.”
While Charlie and Noboni enjoy connecting on social media, they are also concerned about how the platforms are engineered to be addictive and draw users in.
“It’s hard to hold a kid accountable for their screen time and for you to set your own limits,” said Charlie.
Charlie Boyle, 17, opens the Rally festival on stage at Meridian Hall in Toronto, Ontario, on Oct. 14 (Image credit: Robert Okine)
Noboni said that instead of cutting off access based on age, decision-makers should put stricter rules on what media can be released, block misinformation and ban harmful content such as cyberbullying and hate speech.
“As a South Asian woman, especially in the Toronto area, I’ve seen a lot more hatred towards South Asians,” she said, “especially on TikTok, and that is one thing I did bring up to the senator.”
Teen reactions and next steps
Noboni and Charlie said that they felt heard and were encouraged by the senator speaking with them. They hope these types of conversations continue.
The senator got the teens’ contact information and will continue to update them on the bill as it moves through the legislative process.
The teens and senator also agreed to create an advisory board that meets once a month leading up to the point in the legislative process where the bill goes to the Senate for final review before it becomes a law.
Hay said she was surprised at the teens’ ability to see through the challenges of social media and hop on board to discuss how algorithms and other features can be designed with safety in mind.
“Let’s build them safer. That was really the conversation that was going on, and that’s solution-building, right? As opposed to doom and gloom and blame,” said Hay.
Senator Hay will take the kids’ feedback to Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller, who introduced the bill and will be a part of the bill’s approval process.
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