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e-5040 (Media and telecommunications)
E-petition
Initiated by Matthew Ponak from Victoria, British Columbia
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- Online social media platforms are having harmful mental and social impacts on youth and young adults in Canada;
- The harm is most profound amongst already-vulnerable youth in the form of extortion, cyber bullying, and sex crimes;
- AI-driven algorithms are optimized to maximize time spent on the platform in order to sell advertisements. Social media companies are incentivized to amplify outrage and conspiracy theories at the expense of meaningful in-person connections;
- Social media algorithms are amplifying polarization between Canadian citizens, regardless of age, and are promoting the rise of extremist movements in our country;
- In order for us to have a healthy democracy, we need information to be distributed via trustworthy, nuanced, and rational sources who are accountable for their actions;
- Without regulation of social media platforms, the negative effects on mental health, social cohesiveness, and siloed thinking will continue to increase and have potentially catastrophic consequences for our liberal democracy; and
- Canada—with its strong emphasis on pluralism and the social fabric—should be a world leader in setting up guardrails to protect all Canadians, especially the most vulnerable, from the harmful impact of social media.
We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Pass legislation so that social media companies can be held liable for any harm done to citizens of Canada through the use of their platforms; and
2. Restrict the use of social media platforms to those 16 years and older through the use of age verification when registering and signing onto the platform.
- Open for signature
- June 26, 2024, at 2:12 p.m. (EDT)
- Closed for signature
- September 24, 2024, at 2:12 p.m. (EDT)
