Survivor Parents Welcome UK and Canada’s Desire to Protect Kids Online

(Washington, D.C.) June 15, 2026 – Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS), a coalition of families who have lost children due to online harms, issued the following statement after the recent announcements of new social media policies in the U.K. and Canada aimed at protecting young people online:

“We welcome the desire of leaders from the UK and Canada to protect children and teens from online harms. It is a reminder of the growing global consensus that social media is simply not safe for our kids. 

As parents whose children have died as a result of the dangers of social media, we know better than anyone how lethal these platforms have become. We also urge our own lawmakers to do what people around the world are recognizing is necessary – and actively protect our children from predatory Big Tech companies. We urge them to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) before year’s end.

Big Tech’s inaction has forced governments around the world to step in and place restrictions on these platforms to ensure the health and well-being of their most vulnerable citizens. Here in the United States, we have impending legislation that will save children’s lives. Families across America are desperate for KOSA to become law because it is the only path forward for children to finally use social media as what it should have been all along: a place of connection and learning. It’s time to pass this bill. We cannot wait one more day.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that his government will restrict social media apps like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X for children under 16. The law will go into effect by early 2027 and will also prohibit minors from live-streaming and communicating with strangers on gaming and other online sites. In Canada last week, the federal government introduced the Safe Social Media Act, which would restrict young people under 16 from creating social media accounts. 

Both countries join a growing list of nations around the world, including Australia, Malaysia, and several European Union states, that have enacted similar policies.