The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage met to study the impact of social media influencers on children and adolescents. Appearing as witnesses were Natalie Coulter, an associate professor at York University; Holly Wood from Defend Dignity; Naomi Holland, founder of Escalate the Conversation; Kathryn Ann Hill and Matthew Johnson from MediaSmarts; and Humberto Carolo from White Ribbon.
Natalie Coulter argued that children are deeply enmeshed in digital culture, making abstinence-based solutions like blocking social media unviable. She noted that social media enhances children’s lives through connection and community, but that influencers, who are often unregulated, can spread disinformation, promote harmful products, and radicalize young people into misogyny, while algorithms are designed to maximize engagement at the expense of user well-being.
Holly Wood said that social media influencers have become unregulated educators teaching appearance and values without oversight, and that algorithms are effectively parenting children by shaping their norms. She argued that parents cannot outsmart billion-dollar algorithms and that governments must set guardrails, recommending legislation like Bill S-209 for age verification on pornographic content and incentivizing age-appropriate content from influencers.
Naomi Holland highlighted three harms to tween and teen girls: performing for likes creates an addictive dopamine cycle; regular exposure to hypersexualized content normalizes sending nudes, leading to sextortion and trafficking; and OnlyFans influencers on social media groom underage girls by glamorizing sex work. She said that the Canadian government must act quickly to protect childhood, as parents and adolescent brains cannot counter expert predators and algorithms.
Kathryn Ann Hill and Matthew Johnson from MediaSmarts emphasized that social media is not intrinsically harmful; how it is used matters, with active use linked to positive well-being and passive use to loneliness. They argued that digital media literacy education, introduced early and revisited throughout life, is essential to empower youth to manage risks, and they called for a national digital media literacy strategy, noting Canada has fallen behind countries like Finland and the United Kingdom.
Humberto Carolo said that social media exposes boys to misogynistic content that can radicalize them, with CSIS classifying violent misogyny as ideological extremism. He cited research showing that 84% of professionals have encountered radicalized ideologies among boys and that 89% lack adequate training, urging investments in primary prevention and community-based supports rather than simply restricting access, and calling for a stronger code of conduct for tech companies.
During questions, members explored the balance between government regulation and parental responsibility. Wood and Holland stressed the need for swift legislation and easier access to schools for prevention education, while Hill and Johnson advocated for evidence-based regulation and lifelong digital literacy. Carolo emphasized investing in community supports and holding tech companies accountable. The committee also discussed the challenges of age verification, the effectiveness of digital literacy programs in other countries, and the need to involve youth in designing safer platforms. No procedural motions or votes were recorded during this meeting.
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