Kelly DeRidder, Kitchener Centre
“Children face growing dangers online, and parents cannot protect them alone. I support making social media safer, but this bill needs to answer hard questions before we pass it. We need to know how safety rules will be measured, how age verification will protect people's privacy, and how parents will still get to make decisions for their own families.”
“Mr. Speaker, there are many parents and grandparents in this room and listening who, I am sure, all want the same thing: to know that when our children or grandchildren go online, they are safe. We want our children to be able to talk to friends, learn new things, play games and research their interests without worrying that someone might be trying to exploit them, bully them or expose them to things they are not ready to see. For many parents, that peace of mind is hard to find. Parents can do everything right. They can set rules for screen time, monitor what sites their children visit and even teach them about online harms and safety or what to do when they feel uncomfortable. What parents cannot control is what a social media site recommends to their child. They cannot personally review every single message that their child receives, and they cannot make a tech company remove harmful content just because it puts their child at risk. That is the challenge we are facing today. Children are spending more of their time online than ever before. The risks they are facing change as fast as the technology does. One in four Canadian children between the ages of 12 and 17 has experienced cyber-bullying. In 2024, police reported that online child exploitation reached 16,905 children, up 347% from 2014. Behind those numbers are real families and real children who have real trauma from it. We have seen the consequences of online harm in cases like that of Amanda Todd. As AI becomes more common and more integrated into our children’s lives, we need to know where the responsibility lies when something goes wrong. This brings us to Bill C-34. The bill proposes responsibilities for social media companies and AI chatbots. It would require them to take steps to protect children and address harmful content. It would also establish the new digital safety commission of Canada to oversee compliance, investigate complaints and enforce the rules. I think we can all agree that we want our children to be safe online. The question is, how do we get there? Good intentions are not enough. For too long, parents have been expected to manage these risks alone. We can think about how social media works for one second. What is recommended is not random. It is designed to keep people watching. It is designed for children to keep scrolling, the video playbacks to be played based on what they are viewing, and constant ads or continual use by children as they scroll through the platforms. These features can make it difficult for young people to put their phones down. It can also affect what content a child will see next. Technology companies make decisions about how their products work, but they also need to take responsibility. Bill C-34 proposes requirements for safer design, but that raises a question. What does safer design mean, and how will we know what changes are working? Parents do not have the comfort to wait years to find out what these changes will bring. We need clear expectations, measurable results and a way to hold companies accountable when they fall short. This brings me to another part of the bill, on age restrictions. Bill C-34 would require social media apps to verify age to prevent users under the age of 16 from having accounts. The intention is understandable. There are legitimate concerns about the effects of social media on young people. Many parents today are already doing what they can to limit or restrict social media use. My question is, what if a teenager is determined to still use these platforms? They may move to a site that is less known and has fewer safeguards. They may end up giving their parents even less visibility into what is happening. A restriction is only effective if it can be enforced and it keeps children safe in the process. We also need to ask how this verification would work. If Canadians have to provide some sort of identification or other personal information to prove their age, how will that information be protected? We need to make sure that in the effort to protect our children, we do not create unnecessary risks for everyone, including our children. We also need to consider the role of parents. Parents know their children. They understand their needs better than anybody else, especially in ways the government cannot. A parent may decide that their 15-year-old is not ready for online activities, while another says that potentially theirs is. We do not know this yet. Not all families will come to the same decision, and the law needs to account for how these rules would affect them. Parents cannot be expected to solve every single online problem on their own, and they have to be a part of this conversation. Online safety should be a shared responsibility. Yes, parents need the tools to help them make the best decisions for their own families, but big tech companies also need to do their part. The government must do its part as well. Would these measures actually make children safer? Would tech companies be held accountable for the risks that these platforms create? Would parents have the tools needed to protect their children while their privacy is being respected? We need to have the answers as the bill moves forward. Parents are asking for help, and technology companies should not be able to ignore the harms that their products are causing to children. Our responsibility is to make sure that the rules we put in place work to protect children and respect the rights of Canadians. At the end of the day, parents do not want another empty promise that the Internet will be safer. They need protections that actually work.”
Mr. Speaker, there are many parents and grandparents in this room and listening who, I am sure, all want the same thing: to know that when our children or grandchildren go online, they are safe. We want our children to be able to talk to friends, learn new things, play games and research their interests without worrying that someone might be trying to exploit them, bully them or expose them to things they are not ready to see. For many parents, that peace of mind is hard to find. Parents can do everything right. They can set rules for screen time, monitor what sites their children visit and even teach them about online harms and safety or what to do when they feel uncomfortable. What parents cannot control is what a social media site recommends to their child. They cannot personally review every single message that their child receives, and they cannot make a tech company remove harmful content just because it puts their child at risk. That is the challenge we are facing today. Children are spending more of their time online than ever before. The risks they are facing change as fast as the technology does. One in four Canadian children between the ages of 12 and 17 has experienced cyber-bullying. In 2024, police reported that online child exploitation reached 16,905 children, up 347% from 2014. Behind those numbers are real families and real children who have real trauma from it. We have seen the consequences of online harm in cases like that of Amanda Todd. As AI becomes more common and more integrated into our children’s lives, we need to know where the responsibility lies when something goes wrong. This brings us to Bill C-34. The bill proposes responsibilities for social media companies and AI chatbots. It would require them to take steps to protect children and address harmful content. It would also establish the new digital safety commission of Canada to oversee compliance, investigate complaints and enforce the rules. I think we can all agree that we want our children to be safe online. The question is, how do we get there? Good intentions are not enough. For too long, parents have been expected to manage these risks alone. We can think about how social media works for one second. What is recommended is not random. It is designed to keep people watching. It is designed for children to keep scrolling, the video playbacks to be played based on what they are viewing, and constant ads or continual use by children as they scroll through the platforms. These features can make it difficult for young people to put their phones down. It can also affect what content a child will see next. Technology companies make decisions about how their products work, but they also need to take responsibility. Bill C-34 proposes requirements for safer design, but that raises a question. What does safer design mean, and how will we know what changes are working? Parents do not have the comfort to wait years to find out what these changes will bring. We need clear expectations, measurable results and a way to hold companies accountable when they fall short. This brings me to another part of the bill, on age restrictions. Bill C-34 would require social media apps to verify age to prevent users under the age of 16 from having accounts. The intention is understandable. There are legitimate concerns about the effects of social media on young people. Many parents today are already doing what they can to limit or restrict social media use. My question is, what if a teenager is determined to still use these platforms? They may move to a site that is less known and has fewer safeguards. They may end up giving their parents even less visibility into what is happening. A restriction is only effective if it can be enforced and it keeps children safe in the process. We also need to ask how this verification would work. If Canadians have to provide some sort of identification or other personal information to prove their age, how will that information be protected? We need to make sure that in the effort to protect our children, we do not create unnecessary risks for everyone, including our children. We also need to consider the role of parents. Parents know their children. They understand their needs better than anybody else, especially in ways the government cannot. A parent may decide that their 15-year-old is not ready for online activities, while another says that potentially theirs is. We do not know this yet. Not all families will come to the same decision, and the law needs to account for how these rules would affect them. Parents cannot be expected to solve every single online problem on their own, and they have to be a part of this conversation. Online safety should be a shared responsibility. Yes, parents need the tools to help them make the best decisions for their own families, but big tech companies also need to do their part. The government must do its part as well. Would these measures actually make children safer? Would tech companies be held accountable for the risks that these platforms create? Would parents have the tools needed to protect their children while their privacy is being respected? We need to have the answers as the bill moves forward. Parents are asking for help, and technology companies should not be able to ignore the harms that their products are causing to children. Our responsibility is to make sure that the rules we put in place work to protect children and respect the rights of Canadians. At the end of the day, parents do not want another empty promise that the Internet will be safer. They need protections that actually work.
