Premier David Eby says new account control measures for young Instagram users introduced Tuesday by social media giant Meta are the 㽶Ƶֱminimum㽶Ƶֱ expected of tech companies to keep kids safe online.
The parent company of Instagram says users in Canada and elsewhere under 18 will have their accounts set to private by default starting Tuesday, restricting who can send messages, among other parental controls and settings.
Speaking at an unrelated event Tuesday, Eby says the province began talks with social media companies after threatening legislation that would put big tech companies on the hook for 㽶Ƶֱsignificant potential damages㽶Ƶֱ if they were found negligent in failing to keep kids safe from online predators.
Eby says the case of Carson Cleland, a 12-year-old from Prince George, B.C., who took his own life last year after being targeted by a predator on Snapchat, was 㽶Ƶֱhorrific and totally preventable.㽶Ƶֱ
He says social media apps are 㽶Ƶֱnothing special,㽶Ƶֱ and should be held to the same child safety standards as anyone who operates a place that invites young people, whether it㽶Ƶֱs an amusement park, a playground or an online platform.
In a progress report released Tuesday about the province㽶Ƶֱs engagement with big tech companies including Google, Meta, TikTok, Spapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, the provincial government says the companies are implementing changes, including a 㽶Ƶֱtrusted flagger㽶Ƶֱ option to quickly remove intimate images.