Canada seeks to ban social media accounts for children under 16, joining growing global effort
SUMMER VACATION IS ALMOST HERE. SO IS THE MISSION FOR PARENTS TO PRY THEIR KIDS AWAY FROM SCREENS AND GET THEM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE, BUT THAT CAN BE AN UPHILL BATTLE. NUMBERS FROM THE ACADEMY OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY SHOW KIDS 8 TO 18 YEARS OLD SPEND 7.5 HOURS A DAY WATCHING OR USING SCREENS, ON AVERAGE, FAR MORE THAN EXPERTS RECOMMEND. WE ARE ESSENTIALLY PUTTING AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF KIDS IN AN UNCONTROLLED EXPERIMENT WITH THE AMOUNT OF SOCIAL MEDIA THAT’S OUT THERE, WITH HOW ADDICTIVE THESE PHONES ARE, AND ALL OF IT TIES TOGETHER. AND WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD POTENTIALLY HAPPEN IN FIVE AND TEN AND 20 YEARS. ANOTHER RECENT STUDY FOUND KIDS WHO SPENT MORE TIME ON SCREENS SCORED LOWER ON STANDARDIZED READING AND MATH TESTS, COMPARED TO KIDS WHO USED SCREENS LESS OR NOT AT ALL. AND WITH SUMMER UPON US, IT’S A GOOD TIME TO START THOSE HEALTHIER HABITS. SO HOW DO YOU KEEP KIDS SAFE? SET THEM ON THE RIGHT PATH AND JUST STRIKE THAT PROPER BALANCE. LET’S DISCUSS WITH TRACI FOSTER. WELCOME BACK TO THE PROGRAM. SHE’S A CO-FOUNDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SCREEN SANITY, WHICH IS A NATIONAL NONPROFIT GROUP FOUNDED BY MOMS IN OUR AREA HELPING PARENTS WITH THIS ISSUE. WE’VE GOT A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE THE BELLS RING FOR SUMMER, WHICH IS CRAZY THIS YEAR. JUST FLOWN RIGHT BY. WHAT SHOULD PARENTS BE DOING RIGHT NOW WHEN IT COMES TO SCREEN TIME AND JUST HEALTHY HABITS? I THINK THE FIRST THING IS STARTING TO THINK OF A PLAN, BECAUSE THE BIGGEST REASON WHY SCREENS CREEP IN IS BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING ELSE THERE. YOU DON’T HAVE ANY OTHER INTENTIONALITY OR ANYTHING ELSE TO HANG YOUR SCHEDULE ON, AND IT’S A TRANSITION TIME. SO YOUR ROUTINE HAS GONE OUT THE WINDOW. ONE OF MY TOP RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD BE SCREEN SANITY HAS A SUMMER BUCKET LIST. IT’S A GREAT WAY TO SIT AT A FAMILY MEAL AND SAY, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE WANT TO DO THERE? THERE’S A SECTION ON THINGS TO READ, PEOPLE TO SEE, SKILLS YOU MIGHT WANT TO LEARN, AND TECHNOLOGY MIGHT ACTUALLY WEAVE INTO SOME OF THOSE AREAS, BUT IT’S GREAT TO START BY SETTING A ROADMAP FOR WHAT DO WE HOPE FOR THIS SUMMER. YEAH, YOU ALWAYS MAKE A POINT OF SAYING SCREEN TIME ISN’T ALL BAD. THERE’S A BALANCE. THERE’S ABSOLUTELY A BALANCE. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT QUANTITY. IT’S ACTUALLY ABOUT QUALITY. SO WE CAN PUT ALL SCREEN TIME INTO THREE CATEGORIES CREATING, WHICH IS THINGS LIKE USING A 3D PRINTER OR GETTING A RECIPE OR ANYTHING THAT ALLOWS TECHNOLOGY TO HELP YOU MAKE SOMETHING CONNECTING, WHICH IS TEXTING WITH PEOPLE, FACETIMING WITH PEOPLE, ACTUALLY CONNECTING WITH HUMANS AND THEN CONSUMING, WHICH IS WATCHING MR. BEAST VIDEOS OR SCROLLING SOCIAL MEDIA. AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY BAD, BUT IT’S ALMOST LIKE THE TOP OF THE FOOD PYRAMID. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SWEETS, LIKE THOSE SHOULD BE IN MODERATION. WHEREAS CREATING AND CONNECTING, YOU CAN HAVE RELATIVELY LARGE DOSES OF THOSE, AND YOU WILL PROBABLY NOTICE THAT IT DOESN’T HAVE THE THE ZOMBIE LIKE EFFECTS ON YOU OR YOUR KIDS. YEAH. GOOD POINT. WE LAST TALKED A FEW YEARS AGO, RIGHT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PANDEMIC, HAVE HABITS CHANGED AS FAR AS USAGE? WHAT ARE YOU SEEING? YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE THING THAT’S REALLY EXCITING TO ME IS THAT THERE ARE SOME NEW PRODUCTS OUT ON THE MARKET THAT HELP MAKE IT EASIER FOR US TO ACHIEVE WHAT WE’RE HOPING FOR, WHILE NOT HAVING TO GIVE INTO SCREENS. SO I’LL SHARE ONE OF THOSE. OKAY. ONE OF OUR FAVORITES THAT’S JUST ROLLING OUT ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, BUT ESPECIALLY HOT HERE IN KANSAS CITY, IS A LANDLINE PHONE. OH MY GOSH, THESE EXIST. YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO KIDS WHAT THESE ARE. OH. WHEN THEY RING FOR THE FIRST TIME, YOU’VE GOT TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE VIDEOING THAT BECAUSE IT’S LIKE SO STARTLING. AND HOW DO YOU EVEN. YOU HOLD IT UP TO YOUR EAR, WHICH NONE OF US, VERY FEW OF US HOLD OUR CELL PHONES UP. BUT THIS IS BY A COMPANY CALLED TIN CAN. IT’S A WIRELESS PHONE, A WIRELESS LANDLINE, SO YOU DON’T NEED TO HAVE A PORT. BUT IT ALLOWS US TO BE ABLE TO CALL, CONNECT, MAKE, SCHEDULE, PLAY DATES, PLAN TO GO TO THE PARK WITHOUT KIDS HAVING TO HAVE MORE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY. AND SCREEN SANITY HAS PROMOTED THIS, LIKE ORDERING A PIZZA. THINGS LIKE THAT. USING A LANDLINE. YES, YOU CAN USE THE LANDLINE TO STAY CONNECTED AND ALSO TO BUILD RESPONSIBILITY. I MEAN, YOUR KIDS SCHEDULING THEIR OWN PLAYDATES, THAT’S ACTUALLY MEANINGFUL RESPONSIBILITY THAT THEY COULD AND SHOULD DO THAT. WE ALL DID WHEN WE WERE KIDS, EITHER THROUGH LANDLINES OR WALKING AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO FIND PEOPLE TO PLAY WITH. ANY LAST WORDS OF ADVICE FOR PARENTS? MY LAST WORD WOULD BE, IT IS OKAY IF YOUR KIDS SAY THAT THEY’RE BORED. NOWADAYS, OUR KIDS SAY IT AND IT’S LIKE TAKEN AS AN INSULT THAT WE AREN’T BEING A GOOD PARENT, BUT WE DO NOT NEED TO BE CRUISE DIRECTORS. ALLOWING OUR KIDS TO BE BORED HELPS THEM FIND THEIR OWN WAY OF PUSHING THROUGH AND DOING THINGS. SO PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK. GIVE THEM 20 TO 25 MINUTES TO WORK THROUGH THAT AGONY. AND IT’S ALL GOOD, RIGHT? THEY’LL BE BETTER ON THE OTHER SIDE. ALL RIGHT. TRACY FOSTER, GREENE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU CAN FIND ALL KINDS OF RESOURCES, HANDY TIPS, TOOLS THAT BUCKET LIST, EVEN DOWNLOADABLE PLANNERS AND PLAYBOOKS FOR YOUR FAMILY BY GOING TO SCREEN SANITY.ORG. WE’
Canada introduced legislation on Wednesday that could bar children younger than 16 from having social media accounts unless the companies show they can make their platforms safe.Canada is joining a growing global effort to tighten safety protections. Canadian government officials said social media platforms can obtain an exemption if they have put in place sufficient safeguards.Related video at the top: How parents can plan to reduce screen time in summer break“We are failing our children. Enough is enough,” Marc Miller, Canada’s culture minister, said. “We need basic protection in place.”The legislation covers seven types of harmful content, including content that induces children to harm themselves, content that incites violence and foments hatred and non-consensual intimate images.A new regulator, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, will be created. Criteria for what exemptions would look like will be announced at a later date. Miller said setting up the regulator could take up to 18 months.Miller said platforms will need to prove they are safe. Age verification will also be established.Countries including Australia, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. Others including Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are studying or developing similar approaches.Platforms in Canada that offer adult content would not be able to obtain an exemption.The legislation would also regulate the companies behind artificial intelligence chatbots by imposing on them a duty to act responsibly through measures such as crisis intervention protocols.In Australia, social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children since the country banned use of the platforms by those under 16, officials said. The law provoked intense debate in Australia about technology use, privacy, child safety and mental health and has prompted other countries to consider similar measures.A Canadian government official, in a briefing with journalists, said authorities will try to learn lessons from Australia.Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, applauded the move, noting sextortion on social media is up dramatically.Related video below: FBI offers tips to protect kids from sextortion
Canada introduced legislation on Wednesday that could bar children younger than 16 from having social media accounts unless the companies show they can make their platforms safe.
Canada is joining a growing global effort to tighten safety protections. Canadian government officials said social media platforms can obtain an exemption if they have put in place sufficient safeguards.
Related video at the top: How parents can plan to reduce screen time in summer break
“We are failing our children. Enough is enough,” Marc Miller, Canada’s culture minister, said. “We need basic protection in place.”
The legislation covers seven types of harmful content, including content that induces children to harm themselves, content that incites violence and foments hatred and non-consensual intimate images.
A new regulator, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, will be created. Criteria for what exemptions would look like will be announced at a later date. Miller said setting up the regulator could take up to 18 months.
Miller said platforms will need to prove they are safe. Age verification will also be established.
Countries including Australia, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. Others including Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are studying or developing similar approaches.
Platforms in Canada that offer adult content would not be able to obtain an exemption.
The legislation would also regulate the companies behind artificial intelligence chatbots by imposing on them a duty to act responsibly through measures such as crisis intervention protocols.
In Australia, social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children since the country banned use of the platforms by those under 16, officials said. The law provoked intense debate in Australia about technology use, privacy, child safety and mental health and has prompted other countries to consider similar measures.
A Canadian government official, in a briefing with journalists, said authorities will try to learn lessons from Australia.
Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, applauded the move, noting sextortion on social media is up dramatically.
Related video below: FBI offers tips to protect kids from sextortion
