Canada considers extending Bill C-34 social media ban to Roblox and Minecraft

Marc Miller, Canada's Identity Minister, said he would "absolutely consider" adding games to Bill C-34. The Safe Social Media Act bars under-16 accounts but excludes Roblox, Minecraft, Discord. Miller flagged mandatory age verification, parental controls and age-based messaging limits as options under review. No amended bill text or timeline has been set, leaving operators facing open-ended compliance exposure.

Compliance pressure expands beyond social feeds
Miller met with gaming companies this year to review their safety systems, he said.
"The more you start to behave in that way, the more you attract regulation." - Marc Miller, Canadian Identity Minister
Proposed measures include mandatory age verification, stronger parental controls and age-restricted messaging limits.
For live-service operators, each requirement implies recurring engineering and moderation costs.

Platforms already move pre-emptively
Roblox introduced facial age checks for chat in January 2026, ahead of the debate.
Minecraft's Microsoft account already lets parents disable chat or limit multiplayer to known contacts.
The UK has separately considered barring cross-game stranger contact on Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite.
Miller cited existing safety moves as the benchmark Canada could extend to all gaming platforms.

Enforcement gap raises platform-shift risk
Australia's under-16 social media ban, effective December 2025, exempted Roblox entirely.
Users did not disappear online; regulators observed migration to smaller, less-regulated apps including Roblox.
About 40% of Roblox's over 85 million active users are reportedly under 13, per MobileSyrup.
Conservative MP Rachael Thomas questioned why gaming platforms stayed excluded from Bill C-34.
What this means
For Publishers & Developers: Ship friends-only chat defaults for under-16 accounts in youth-skewing multiplayer titles before launch.
For Investors & VC: Add child-safety compliance burn to diligence models for UGC and social-gaming startups.
For Service Vendors: Pitch trust-and-safety moderation and age-assurance integration to mid-size youth-skewing multiplayer studios.