Bill C-63 had its first reading on February 26, 2024, and proposes to address online harms that can affect children. The legislation was introduced to hold social media platforms accountable for the content they host and aims to create a safer online space to protect children online.
Bill C-63 would specifically target seven types of harmful content:
- Content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor;
- Intimate content communicated without consent;
- Content used to bully a child;
- Content that induces a child to harm themselves;
- Content that foments hatred;
- Content that incites violence; and
- Content that incites violent extremism or terrorism.
Social media services would be subject to three duties under the Act:
- A duty to act responsibly;
- A duty to protect children; and
- A duty to make certain content inaccessible, specifically (1) content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor and (2) intimate images posted without consent.
These duties would apply to livestreaming services and user-uploaded adult content services.[1] For more information on the proposed Bill C-63, read the complete text of the Act here.
LESA will continue to monitor and post updates to Bill C-63 on the LESA blog.
[1] https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/online-harms.html
