The United Kingdom has passed legislation banning children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer framing the move as a child safety measure. Tech companies that fail to comply face significant financial penalties.

To determine who is under 16 and who is not, every user, regardless of whether they are adults or minors, will need to verify their age.

In practice, that means handing personal identification to either the government or the platforms themselves simply to access the internet.

Those in opposition to the legislation have pointed out that determined teenagers will simply lie about their age, rendering the ban largely ineffective while creating a sweeping new data collection apparatus for those who comply.

Prior to the U.K. passing its under-16 social media ban, Canada's government also announced it intends to introduce similar identification measures.

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The legislation would see the Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals create a new federal digital regulator, which would then establish standards for social media platforms, including provisions addressing artificial intelligence, under the guise of protecting children's safety.

“Parents can limit what their kids watch with the push of a button,” remarked Ezra Levant in recent commentary on Canada's proposed legislation. “This is really about everyone else. Again, using kids as the excuse,” he said.

"There will be a requirement for everybody to input their age,” asserted Sheila Gunn Reid on a Rebel Roundup livestream, suggesting the Liberals will eventually require social media platforms to share identification with the government.

The White House has already pushed back on the U.K.'s version of the legislation, arguing the restrictions impose a disproportionate burden on American tech firms. That friction is unlikely to smooth Canada's already strained trade negotiations with Washington.

“You think that's going to go down well in our trade negotiations with Trump?” wondered Ezra Levant.

Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, is currently making its way through Parliament.