Children need to be protected online, too

Right now, social media platforms provide those who are seeking to harm children with direct and unsupervised access to our kids 24–7, and the risk of harm is rising. Cybertip.ca witnessed a 27% increase in reports of online sexual exploitation¹ last year. Unlike offline, where governments have rules and regulations for companies and spaces that serve children, online guardrails simply do not exist. The responsibility and blame has entirely — and unfairly — been placed on parents.

Children now have devices wherever they go, making it impossible for parents to oversee all of their child’s online activity. Canada urgently needs legislation that protects children online like we protect them offline.

How you can help

1. Tell your MP this is important to you

   Write, call, or email your Member of Parliament and let them know why you think it is critical that the government regulate online companies — the same as other industries are — to protect children.

   Here are some key points to help:

   • Children are at risk every day. In the last two years, Cybertip.ca, Canada’s tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children, has received nearly 7,000 reports alone from youth being sexually extorted, mainly through Instagram and Snapchat. This issue is of epidemic proportion with a number of youths also dying by suicide as a result of the torment they faced by online predators.
   • Canada currently lacks regulations for tech companies who control the platform where our children and youth spend a significant amount of their time.
     • I believe all children should be protected online as they are offline.
   • The explosion of child sexual abuse material is incomprehensible. Project Arachnid often issues more than 20,000 removal requests involving this material in a day to service providers around the world.

   How do I contact my MP?

   1. Go to Our Commons
   2. In the search bar labelled “Search current and past members by name, constituency or postal code,” enter your postal code
   3. Select your MP under the “Current Members” header
   4. Click on “Contact” — your MP’s email, constituency office address and phone number will be listed here
   5. For a pre-written statement, see below.

   Sample letter for your MP

   Dear MP ______,

   I am contacting you today because I believe that children urgently need to be protected online as they are protected offline, which is why I support government regulating online companies.

   Canada currently lacks regulations for tech companies who control the platforms where our children and youth spend increasing amounts of their lives. Technology companies have had years to show they put children first, and continue to fail. A look at recent headlines easily shows that: https://protectchildren.ca/en/press-and-media/tech-timeline/

   Children are at risk online every day. Comparing to 2022-23, in 2023-24, Cybertip.ca, Canada’s tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children, saw:

   • 2,700+ reports of online harms to children;
   • a 19% increase in reports of online luring; and
   • a 14% increase in reports of youth being extorted.

   I’m contacting you because this is important to me. It’s not fair to place the blame on parents for failing to keep their kids safe in an environment that lacks rules to keep them safe. Toys and schools are regulated – why aren’t the platforms where our kids spend their time?

   Canada needs regulations for tech companies to protect our kids - they are our future, and should be our priority. I am asking you to stand up for children and support regulation.

2. Share this message on social media

   Canada is one of the safest places in the world for children. Unless they’re online. Learn
   more about the victimization children face online here:
   www.protectchildren.ca/safespaces

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1. 1 January 2022 – December 2022 vs. January 2023 – December 2023 ↩