Our kids need more protection
The internet wasn’t designed with children’s safety in mind. Yet in this digital age that’s exactly where they’re spending time — for school, socialization and entertainment.
As you read this, children are being exposed to graphic sexually explicit material that is accessible in seconds.
The government can help prevent this by requiring adult websites to use an age verification process before allowing access to their content. Unfortunately, the Liberal government just turned down an opportunity to do so by rejecting an amendment to its Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11, which aims to modernize Canada’s broadcasting legislation by including online undertakings.
Last December the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications added an amendment during its study of Bill C-11 to ensure children are protected from exposure to sexually explicit material online just as they already are to traditional broadcasting methods such as radio and television.
This amendment passed in the Senate in February and Bill C-11 is back in the House of Commons to assess the changes that were made. However, during the debate on March 8, the Heritage Minister’s Parliamentary Secretary explained that the Liberal government rejected the Senate’s amendment “to compel online undertakings to implement methods, such as age verification, to prevent children from accessing explicit sexual material” because it “seeks to legislate matters in the broadcasting system that are beyond the policy intent of the bill.” He mentioned that they hoped to address this important issue in upcoming legislation, likely referring to the long-anticipated online harms bill. It’s unknown when that bill will be tabled.
While our attention can quickly move on to other issues, let’s pause a moment and realize what’s at stake here. We need the government to follow through and swiftly act on this. Let us not forget who this measure protects and why that protection is necessary. Every delay leads to more children being harmed.
Research shows children are encountering sexually explicit material at increasingly younger ages. For example a study by the British Board of Film Classification revealed 51 per cent of 11 to 13 year olds had already been exposed. The percentage increased to 79 per cent for older minors. Over half of these minors saw sexually explicit material unintentionally.
What are they seeing? Titles such as “Daddy keeps f---ing daughter till she likes it,” “Beach spy changing room two girls,” and “Crying blonde b---- takes rough drilling.”
I would apologize for including the titles above, but if children can stumble upon them, we need to talk about them.
These are typical examples from a study that found that at least one in eight titles on the home pages of popular pornography sites describe sexual violence.
And what is the impact? Two decades worth of peer-reviewed research documents various harms associated with youth being exposed to sexually explicit material. These include confusion over sexual expectations and consent, mental-health challenges, low self-esteem, body-image insecurities, and being a perpetrator or victim of sexual aggression.
Exposure to sexually explicit material poses a serious threat to the well-being of children. We don’t allow children to buy alcohol, gamble or attend sexually explicit films at theatres, yet online they can stumble on adult content in seconds.
We must act to protect children’s rights to life, survival and development.
In 2021 the United Nation’s Committee on the Rights of the Child published general comment 25, which affirmed children’s rights in the digital space and advocated for age verification as a method to uphold those rights. Australia, France, Germany, the UK, the United States, and the European Union are already acting on age verification. Canadian youth also deserve these online protections.
While this won’t be included in Bill C-11, other bills such as Bill S-210 and the anticipated online harms legislation can accomplish this.
The path forward will take work, but we must commit to walking it knowing it is both achievable and urgently necessary.