Y&R Co-Director Professor Amanda Third meets with Canadian Government to discuss 'safety by design' approach to digital platforms
Image: Professor Third being interviewed on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) 'Power & Politics' program
Y&R Co-Director Professor Amanda Third was recently invited to Canada to deliver an address at a Canada 2020 event which was entitled ‘The Good, the Bad and the Great Unknowns of Social Media Bans.’
Canada 2020 is a progressive think tank organisation, and at the event, Professor Third had the opportunity to meet with Rachel Bendayan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada.
This was a timely visit as the Canadian Government, spearheaded by Culture Minister Marc Miller, just this month introduced a Safe Social Media Act for under-16s into the Canadian Parliament. There will be a three-month consultation period before the legislation is voted on.
In a departure from the harder line approaches of the Australian and UK governments, the Canadian Government legislation targets under-16s, but places greater emphasis on a ‘safety by design’ model where a newly established Digital Safety Commission of Canada will have the power to not only audit platforms, but mandate specific product design changes, order content removals, and levy massive fines—up to 6% to 8% of a company's global revenue—for non-compliance.
Significantly, if tech companies can demonstrate that they can clean up their platforms and make them safe for children, they may be made exempt from the ban.
Image: Professor Third being interviewed on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) 'Power & Politics' program
With 42 countries around the world now having implemented or considering implementing a social media ban for young people, this approach by the Canadian Government represents a significant step toward a more nuanced approach to children’s online safety - one that holds digital platforms to account, and aligns with what Professor Third and many other experts have long advocated for.
If you would like to arrange an interview with Professor Third to discuss these issues further, please contact Claire Absolum, Communications Lead at c.absolum@westernsydney.edu.au.
Further reading / viewing:
Social media can be 'safe by design' without full ban, culture minister says:
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7230845
Prof Third has written this OpEd which highlights many of the points she made at the Canada 2020 address
Prof Third appearing on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ‘Power & Politics’ program (7.30 report equivalent)
Summary of social media restrictions around the world [[link]]