Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has launched a province-wide postcard survey asking residents for feedback on whether social media use by youth should be banned or restricted.
The survey postcard will ask residents several questions, including what age range would be appropriate for a ban. Responses can then be mailed back to the government, which will use the feedback to help set a provincial position on the issue. Moe did not say when the results could lead to legislation.
“Parents are navigating difficult decisions around the use of social media… and we want to, as a government, listen to Saskatchewan families… so that we can accurately represent the views that those families and those parents have,” Moe said in a press conference on May 5.
Moe said that young people are being shaped in an unprecedented way by social media. While acknowledging it allows youth “to connect, to learn, to express themselves,” he said downsides include cyberbullying, body image concerns, and “dangerous content.”
He cited a poll by the Angus Reid Institute that found 75 percent of Canadians support banning social media for youth under 16, including 70 percent of respondents with children.
Moe added that it would be better for the country to move forward collectively rather than through a patchwork of provincial restrictions.
The debate in Canada comes amid growing international support for stricter rules. Late last year, Australia became the first country to implement a nationwide social media ban for those under 16, requiring platforms to verify ages and deactivate underage accounts.
Meanwhile, Canadian officials have recently signalled openness to stronger measures aimed at protecting youth.
Culture Minister Marc Miller said last month the federal government is “very seriously” considering introducing a social media ban, but that a committee studying online harms would examine the issue.
The federal Liberal Party voted at a recent policy convention to set 16 as the age for Canadians to be able to use social media accounts, though the resolution is non-binding.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has also indicated that youth online safety is an emerging priority, suggesting any meaningful restrictions would likely require a coordinated national framework rather than fragmented provincial rules.
At the provincial level, Manitoba was among the first to publicly support stricter limits on youth social media use and Premier Wab Kinew has said a ban on social media accounts for children is forthcoming.
Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta have not made specific ban proposals but have acknowledged concerns around youth mental health, online harms, and excessive screen time, often focusing instead on school-based phone restrictions and monitoring federal developments.
In Atlantic Canada as well as the territories, governments have largely limited their responses to public health messaging and participation in broader discussions, without formal proposals for bans. While concern is widespread, questions remain about how any ban would be enforced, including how platforms would verify users’ ages and whether restrictions could be easily bypassed.
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