Call to Action
1. Raise the age of social media to 16 and require strong age verification.
2. Implement age verification requirements to restrict minors’ access to explicit content.
3. Expand public education on the impacts of smartphones, social media and digital addiction in schools and communities.
Canada is falling behind while other countries take decisive action to protect children from the harms of social media and explicit online content. Australia and Norway are raising the minimum age for social media access and enforcing age verification.
France, the UK and Germany require strict age verification for explicit content.
It’s time for our leaders to step up.
1 in 7
teens considered ending their lives due to social media comparison
Cybersmile Comparison Culture 2023
75%
of young girls experience cyberbullying on social media
Plan International 2024
11 yrs
is the average age kids are being exposed to violent pornography
MediaSmarts 2020
3,600
cases of sextortion are reported each year in Canada
Cybertip.ca 2024
Why This Matters
Smartphones have become not just distracting but a direct gateway to harmful and addictive content, especially through social media. Yet their widespread use among children and teens has been normalized and continues to rise.
These devices provide constant access to algorithm-driven platforms designed to maximize engagement, exposing young users to cyberbullying, unrealistic beauty standards, extreme content, and harmful challenges. Excessive smartphone and social media use are linked to rising rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm. In Canada, nearly one in four teens report experiencing high levels of psychological distress, and hospitalizations for eating disorders among adolescent girls have surged post-pandemic.
Time spent outdoors, engaging in real-world activities, and socializing in person has declined, while rates of loneliness, self-harm, and suicide have sharply increased. By age 12, 87% of children own a smartphone, spending over five hours daily on their devices—much of it on social media.
Tech companies design platforms to exploit psychological vulnerabilities, keeping kids hooked while collecting their data. The well-being of children is increasingly at odds with the financial interests of smartphone manufacturers, social media giants, and advertisers profiting from their attention.
