A second poll on banning social media for under-16s in Canada has been published. The headlines say "broad support" — the underlying data still tells a more nuanced story.
Source: Leger, "Canadians' Opinions on a Social Media Ban for Children" — May 4, 2026
Survey of 1,848 Canadian adults conducted May 1–4, 2026. Zero respondents under 18 years of age. Margin of error: ±2.28% for the full sample.
Questions may have asked about specific platforms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok; ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot), but the reported results don't distinguish between them. I would love to see the data breakdown if one exists!
The Leger poll's executive summary leads with the figure "seven in ten support banning social media and AI chatbots for children under 16." But while the poll asked about a range of issues — including concern about youth wellbeing, preferences about age restrictions generally, and support for a ban specifically — it's being reported as though these all measure the same thing. They don't. Here's a more nuanced reading of what the data provided in the full report actually shows.
83% are very or somewhat concerned about the potential negative impacts of specified social media and AI tools on youth
Most respondents were either somewhat (35%) or very (49%) concerned about the tools listed in the poll, which included Facebook, TikTok, ChatGPT and others. This level of concern is not surprising. There are many known problems with these tools, and a ton of scary stories circulating about them. Evidence also shows that negative stories now dominate news media coverage of youth online safety. See: 2025 ACM Web Science study (Namvarpour et al.), this systematic review of 157 news articles, and Neuhaus & O'Connor (2025) for details.
When asked what the "minimum age for independent access" should be, only 32% chose 16 years, while 29% picked 17+. Over a third (34%) picked an age under 16
Notably, however, "independent access" could mean many different things in practice, including requiring parental consent or supervision. It's not synonymous with ban/no ban.
Less than half (41%) strongly support a ban on social media for kids under 16. No alternative policy options were presented
The 70% listed as supportive of a ban once again combines those who strongly support (41%) and somewhat support (28%). This time, the poll only included questions about bans rather than asking about different policy approaches.
52% of parents are very or somewhat concerned that banning AI tools for youth under 16 could limit their access to useful tools for learning, communication, or creativity
So were 50% of respondents aged 18–34. Parents were not asked about the negative impacts of a social media ban specifically.
60% don't think platforms can enforce age verification — undercutting the practical viability of any ban
Only 7% are "very confident" that social media and AI companies could implement effective age verification and enforcement measures.
What the data shows
Canadians are concerned about the effects of social media and AI on youth. Many support waiting until children are older before they are allowed to access these tools independently. Neither position is equivalent to supporting a blanket ban, even though the press release and news coverage are treating them as interchangeable.
When forced to choose between yes-ban and no-ban with no alternatives presented, 70% of Canadian adults — most of whom are concerned to some extent about negative impacts of social media and AI — express some level of support for a ban. When offered a fuller menu of options (as in the Angus Reid poll), however, Canadians prefer targeted, design-focused interventions over blanket prohibitions. Notably, the closer a parent is to the affected age group, the more they worry about a ban's potential negative impacts on their child's education, creativity, and social life. Respondents weren't asked if they had similar concerns about a social media ban.
The policy question is not "ban or no ban." It is: how do we hold platforms accountable for making their products safe and age-appropriate for young users?