Child advocates urge government to bring back online harms legislation

OTTAWA — A coalition of child advocates and medical organizations says the dangers children face online constitute a national emergency.

“Unlike every other industry that affects children, from cars to pharmaceuticals to toys to food safety, the tech industry has been allowed to self-regulate with tragic consequences,” said Andrea Chrysanthou, chair of the board for Children First Canada, at a press conference on Parliament Hill.

The advocates say children are being exploited, extorted, bullied — and in some cases, kids have died as a result of online harms.

Dr. Margot Burnell, president of the Canadian Medical Association, said doctors see the negative health impacts of social media use firsthand.

“Increasingly, online harms are contributing to a public health crisis among youth with devastating effects on their mental health, self-esteem, and even their physical safety,” she said.

The coalition has called on the government to bring back the online harms bill that was introduced by former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government but never became law.

The Liberals have signalled they will not bring the bill back in the same form, but will instead tackle aspects of online harms in other legislation.

The previous Liberal government promised to introduce online harms legislation in the 2021 election.

“Back then I was only eight years old, and they said it would happen in their first 100 days,” said Zachary Fathally, Children First Canada youth adviser.

“Now I’m 12 and more than 1,460 days have gone by. That’s a third of my childhood so far, and we’re still waiting.”

Since earlier versions of the legislation were drafted, the growing availability of artificial intelligence chatbots has led to new concerns about their effect on children, including cases involving suicide.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2025.