Province aims to protect kids online, and has asked media giants to help

Snapchat, TikTok welcome chance to collaborate

The province will introduce legislation to protect kids’ privacy and limit access to harmful content online — especially on devices provided by schools — and has already reached out to social media giants for help.

“We will be bringing in social media and tech industry experts to discuss how they can further curtail risks, specifically focused on cyberbullying, age-appropriate access to content, and cracking down on risks to kids while online,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in announcing the move Thursday in Oakville with Todd McCarthy, minister of public and business service delivery.

“This is about protecting the physical and mental health of children,” he said, later telling reporters that he’s been in touch with the big social media companies such as Snapchat and Meta, and “there is a willingness to work with the government.”

Lecce has previously announced a ban on cellphones in schools, and has directed boards to remove access to social media sites on their Wi-Fi networks, starting this fall, to help limit distractions.

“We’ve communicated our intent,” he said. “We’ve got to get this right.”

The new legislation could usher in “age-appropriate standards for software programs on devices, like laptops, used by students at school and strengthened standards for software procurement by schools to avoid the usage or selling of student data for predatory marketing by third parties,” the government said in a written release.

“The Ontario government will collaborate with school boards, parents and groups overseeing children in provincial settings to ensure the right protections are introduced without affecting the quality of education or interfering with schools’ ability to choose the right tools for the classroom,” the release added.

A spokesperson for Snapchat said via email that “the safety and wellbeing of the Snapchat community is of paramount importance. We look forward to reviewing the proposed legislation and collaborating with the Ontario government alongside our industry peers to address critical online safety issues and concerns.”

TikTok said in a statement that it “(welcomes) the opportunity to engage in productive conversations with the government about our continued work to keep our community safe.”

The legislation was welcomed by the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association.

Boards “are very aware of the challenges and dangers of social media and the things kids can access on their devices … Schools take steps to have those conversations and teach kids about digital literacy and cyber safety,” said President Cathy Abraham.

Michael Bellmore, president of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association, said “technology is ever-emerging — on a daily, hourly and by-the-minute basis, so we’re constantly making sure or arguing to ensure that we have the adequate funding and resources so that we can have our own cybersecurity policies and those associated risk management frameworks in place.”

We will be bringing in social media and tech industry experts to discuss how they can further curtail risks, specifically focused on cyberbullying, age-appropriate access to content, and cracking down on risks to kids while online.

STEPHEN LECCE EDUCATION MINISTER