Province wants to limit kids’ access to harmful online content

The Ford government plans on introducing legislation to protect children’s privacy while limiting access to potentially harmful online content.

The province says the regulatory changes would ensure protections to better safeguard children’s information from theft or misuse due to cyber incidents.

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the province plans to consult with social media and tech industry experts, such as X and Snapchat, for assistance in cracking down on cybercrimes and cyberbullying, trafficking and online victimization.

“We will be bringing in social media and tech industry experts to discuss how they can further curtail risks, specifically focused on cyberbullying, age-appropriate access to content, and cracking down on risks to kids while online,” said Lecce in a statement.

Additional province-wide regulations could include “age-appropriate standards” for software programs on school-used devices like laptops.

The government’s announcement comes one day after Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced the arrests of 64 people connected to a multi-jurisdictional child sexual exploitation investigation. The investigations were carried out over 10 days in February and led to the arrest of dozens of suspects accused of making, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

Ban on cellphones takes shape next school year

Last month, Lecce and the province announced new measures to limit cellphone use in schools and ban vaping starting in 2024-25. As of this fall, some social media sites will also be banned on school Wi-Fi networks.

Students in kindergarten to Grade 6 will be required to keep phones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day unless explicitly permitted by an educator, while students in Grades 7 to 12 will see cellphones banned during class time.

“After removing social media from school networks and devices, restricting cellphones in class and banning vaping, our government is taking additional action to further safeguard our children while they are online,” said Lecce.

The province said work is also underway to bolster safeguards to ensure artificial intelligence is used responsibly in the public sector, including schools.

Todd McCarthy, Ontario’s Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery, said the rapidly evolving online world provides opportunities for children’s education and growth but cited privacy risks to personal information.

“Our government wants our children to have a healthy, safe and age-appropriate digital experience when engaging with public sector organizations like schools which is why we are safeguarding their best interests by putting guardrails in place to better protect them.”