Measures to facilitate online safety for youth must uphold human rights

With the goal of mitigating harm from youth accessing online pornography, Bill S-210 proposes an age verification system that could apply to everyday sites and search engines like Reddit and Google.

As a gender equality advocacy organization, we believe that it is crucial to facilitate safer online experiences for young Canadians, particularly young girls, trans, and non-binary people. Critically, however, any measures taken toward this goal must be proportionate, clearly defined, uphold human rights, and create a realistic expectation that they will be effective in achieving this goal. In its current form, Bill S-210 does not meet these criteria. 

Considering the proposed legislation’s negative impacts on gender equality and privacy rights, LEAF recommends not passing Bill S-210 into law. The harms of the proposed age-verification system clearly outweigh the benefits.  

In May 2024, LEAF wrote to the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Safety and National Security to express these concerns. Read the full letter.