British Columbia mother urges tougher rules on social media after teen's death

Chelsey Whittingham, a mother from British Columbia, said her 13‑year‑old daughter Maddy Croswell died last September after a social‑media platform repeatedly directed harmful self‑harm content to her feed. Whittingham argued that parental controls are insufficient against powerful recommendation algorithms that can expose vulnerable children to dangerous material.

She called for comprehensive Canadian action, including mandatory age verification, bans on users under 16, transparency around recommendation systems, regulation of self‑harm and suicide‑promoting content, and an independent oversight body with rapid intervention powers. British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma cited Australia’s recent increase of fines for breaches of its social‑media age law to C$99 million as a model.

The federal government has announced online‑harms legislation that would create a Digital Safety Commission of Canada, expected to be operational in about 18 months, to enforce such measures and hold tech companies accountable.