BILL NO. 133

(as introduced)

1st Session, 65th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
4 Charles III, 2025

 

Private Member's Public Bill

 

Social Media Responsibility Act

 

The Honourable Iain Rankin
Timberlea–Prospect

First Reading: September 23, 2025

Second Reading:

Third Reading:

 

An Act to Control Access to
Age-restricted Social Media Platforms

WHEREAS section 93 of the Constitution Act, 1867 provides the provinces with the exclusive power to make laws in relation to education;

AND WHEREAS the use of social media platforms by youth may impair the provision of education in Nova Scotia;

THEREFORE be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:

1 This Act may be cited as the Social Media Responsibility Act.

2 The purpose of this Act is to reduce the risk of education-related harms to age-restricted users from certain kinds of social media platforms.

3 In this Act,

"age-restricted social media platform" means

(a) an electronic service that satisfies the following conditions:

(i) the sole purpose, or a significant purpose, of the service is to enable online social interaction between two or more end users,

(ii) the service allows end users to link to, or interact with, some or all of the other end users,

(iii) the service allows end users to post material on the service, and

(iv) such other conditions as are set out in the regulations; or

(b) an electronic service prescribed in the regulations,

but does not include

(c) an electronic service of which none of the material on the service is accessible or delivered to one or more end users in the Province;

(d) an electronic service that enables online interaction solely for business purposes; or

(e) an electronic service prescribed by the regulations;

"age-restricted user" means a child under the age of 16 years.

4 A provider of an age-restricted social media platform shall, in accordance with the regulations, take reasonable steps to prevent age-restricted users from using the age-restricted social media platform.

5 (1) A provider of an age-restricted social media platform who fails to comply with Section 4 is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than $250,000.

(2) Where a person is convicted of an offence under subsection (1) and the court is satisfied that, as a result of the commission of the offence, monetary benefits accrued to the person, the court may order the offender to pay, in addition to a fine under subsection (1), a fine in an amount equal to the estimation of the court of the amount of those monetary benefits.

(3) Where an offence under subsection (1) is committed or continued on more than one day, the person who committed the offence is liable to be convicted for a separate offence for each day on which the offence is committed.

6 (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations

(a) prescribing conditions for the purpose of the definition of "age-restricted social media platform";

(b) prescribing specified electronic services as being or not being age-restricted social media platforms;

(c) respecting steps providers of age-restricted social media platforms must take to prevent age-restricted users from having accounts with the age-restricted social media platform;

(d) defining any word or expression used but not defined in this Act;

(e) respecting any matter or thing the Governor in Council considers necessary or advisable to effectively carry out the intent and purpose of this Act.

(2) The exercise by the Governor in Council of the authority contained in subsection (1) is a regulation within the meaning of the Regulations Act.

 

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