Quebec premier says he’s open to limiting social media use, debates age limits

Quebec's CAQ party says among proposals it is debating is a call from the party's youth wing to ban social media access for those under the age of 16.

Quebec Premier François Legault says he’s open to “taking major steps” to curb children’s social media use amid pressure from his party’s youngest members.

Some 700 members of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) gathered in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., on Saturday and Sunday for a general convention, and among the proposals they’re debating is a call from the party’s youth wing to ban social media access for those under the age of 16.

Speaking with reporters on Saturday, Legault described social media platforms as “virtual pushers” and compared them to addictive substances.

But the premier’s remarks appear to signal a change of course.

He was dismissive earlier this month when Party Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon suggested following the lead of governments in France and Florida, which have banned youth under 14 from opening social media accounts.

And on Thursday, the Legault government refused to debate a PQ motion dealing specifically with the issue.

“It scares me,” Legault said of social media on Saturday. “It’s creating major mental health problems for young people. The way social media works is to make readers dependent. … I’m open to taking major steps.”

Elsewhere at the convention, members of several unions held a demonstration outside the venue where party members were gathering to denounce the government’s handling of labour talks with the province’s workers.