Canadian Heritage

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage met to study online harms, particularly those affecting children. The witnesses were Daniel Clark, a professor at Western University's Ivey Business School, and Dr. Wanda Polzin Holman, CEO of the Little Warriors charitable organization.

Professor Clark testified that children featured in social media content, known as "kidfluencers," face risks including consent violations, privacy loss, economic exploitation, and harm from parasocial relationships with predators. He noted that platforms earned $11 billion in advertising from children in 2022 and argued that self-regulation has failed, recommending that the federal government regulate to protect child actors online, potentially through bans or heavy fines, and that children around age 14 to 16 should be able to reclaim control of their digital identities. He disagreed with the idea that age verification alone would solve the problem, calling it insufficient without broader societal action.

Dr. Polzin Holman testified that Little Warriors has observed rising mental health deterioration, cyber-bullying, sextortion, and online grooming of children, with a reported 80% increase in sextortion cases since 2020 and a 150% increase in online luring between 2022 and 2023. She recommended including survivor support and prevention programs in new policies, reviewing sentencing gaps and deterrence for child sexual abuse offenders, legislating stronger and more consistent sentencing for offences related to child sexual abuse material, and providing tax concessions to encourage donations to charities like Little Warriors. She supported the intent of Bill C-63, the online harms act, and called for regulations to limit child sexual exploitation and support schools and parents with updated information.

In response to questions, Professor Clark said that algorithms amplify harmful content by keeping children engaged without limit, and that the long-term societal impact of unaddressed trends could be devastating, creating a large pool of victimized young people. Dr. Polzin Holman noted that deepfakes and AI are already being used to create child sexual abuse material, and that offenders are often released with minimal consequences, sometimes reoffending. Both witnesses agreed that Australia's ban on social media for under-16s is a good first step, even if imperfect, and that parents need better tools and support to protect children online.

The committee heard that parents cannot fully protect children due to multiple points of access to the internet, and that communal online activities and limiting account access are key strategies. Dr. Polzin Holman emphasized that grooming can happen quickly through gaming platforms, with predators manipulating children and even parents, and that many children do not report abuse due to shame or manipulation. Professor Clark noted that the platforms are not good actors and have no incentive to police themselves effectively.

The meeting concluded without any procedural debate, motions, or votes.