The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage met to study the impacts of social media on young people, hearing from five witnesses: David Morin, Aengus Bridgman, Michael Cooper, Katie Paul, and Marie-Eve Carignan.
David Morin, a full professor and UNESCO Chair holder, testified that exposure to extremist content online is linked to radical attitudes and behaviours in youth, noting that terrorist groups like the Islamic State and the far-right Atomwaffen Division use social media to recruit increasingly younger individuals. He argued that the status quo is unacceptable and recommended placing primary responsibility on platforms to regulate harmful content, while also emphasizing the need for prevention and awareness efforts and for politicians to make responsible statements that do not fuel polarization.
Aengus Bridgman, director of the Media Ecosystem Observatory, stated that 81% of Canadian youth get their news from influencers, with algorithmic discovery—not user choice—being the primary way content reaches them, leading to a "loss of intention" in information consumption. He recommended that policy operate within the reality that social media is central to youth life, that algorithmic discovery be recognized as a key lever for regulation, and that media literacy programs be updated for an environment where politics, entertainment, and culture are blended.
Michael Cooper, vice-president of Mental Health Research Canada, reported that youth aged 16 to 24 are the most likely to spend over six hours daily on screens, which is linked to anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation, and that one in four young women is at high risk of eating disorders tied to social media use. He noted that youth cannot easily distinguish between informational and advertising content, and recommended introducing digital literacy at younger ages, reducing excessive screen time, and demonetizing harmful content categories in Canada.
Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, testified that Meta and other platforms are internally aware of harms to children but bury that research to continue profiting, citing examples of algorithmically pushed drug and weapons ads that are approved and monetized by the company. She argued that platforms are capable of addressing these issues but only do so when facing repercussions, and recommended starting regulation with the profit-driving mechanism of advertising, imposing fines for profiting from illegal activity, and looking to models like the European Union's Digital Services Act and the U.K.'s Online Safety Act.
Marie-Eve Carignan, a full professor and UNESCO Chair holder, highlighted that disinformation poses risks to democracy, community health, and individual safety, with 54% of Canadians viewing influencers as significant threats for misleading information. She recommended blocking hateful and violent content, reinstating fact-checking, promoting reliable content through algorithms, and standardizing media literacy education in schools, noting that one-time initiatives like the #30sec to check it out training have proven effective in helping youth evaluate information sources.
The committee did not engage in procedural debate, motions, or votes during this meeting.
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