In the age of technology, where screens and the internet play a crucial role in the lives of our youth, concerns about the potential risks they may face online have become more understandably prevalent to families. The call to ban or restrict young Canadian’s access to the Internet has gained traction among some adults, special interest groups, and politicians, mirroring the precautions we take in other aspects of our children’s lives. However, it’s crucial as parents and caregivers to approach the onlife world with a balanced perspective, just as we do with other potential risks to our children’s health and well-being.
Yes, Canadian youth do face risks online that can impact their health and well-being – something that we speak to in many of our writings and programs here at the White Hatter. These risks range from exposure to inappropriate content to cyberbullying and even online predators; yes, some Canadian youth have also tragically died by suicide because of some of these risks (1) However, it’s essential to acknowledge that similar risks exist in the physical world, and we don’t respond by banning our children from engaging in outdoor activities or sports.
Consider this – every year in Canada, 30 child pedestrians are killed, and 2,412 are injured, which means nearly every three hours, a child pedestrian experiences a tragic incident.(2)Additionally, in 2021, there were 9,300 total injuries among youth aged 15-19 while driving, leading to death or severe injury.(3) Playground injuries alone resulted in the hospitalization of 1,841 children under the age of 18.(4) Drowning deaths among youth numbered 1,109 between 2011-2023, highlighting the importance of water safety.(5) Furthermore, sports-related injuries in a three-year period from 2007-2010 saw 56,691 Canadians under the age of 19 being evaluated in emergency departments, with soccer and ice hockey topping the list for injuries and concussions, respectively.(6)
In the face of these physical risks, we don’t advocate for banning children from playing sports, swimming, walking to school, driving as a passenger in a car, or enjoying outdoor activities. Instead, we focus on mitigating risks by implementing safety measures, educating children about potential dangers, and supervising their activities. In fact, this is something that the Canadian Paediatric Society has just echoed in a 2024 position statement titled “Healthy childhood development through outdoor risky play: Navigating the balance with injury prevention” – every parent and caregiver should read this report (7) We would suggest that the principles of this position statement apply to the online world as well – mitigate risks and don’t ban age-appropriate experiences.
Approaching the digital world requires a balanced strategy. Instead of outright bans on internet access or technology use, we should focus on educating our children, parents, and caregivers, about digital literacy, online safety, fostering open communication, and instilling responsible age-appropriate digital habits combined with age-appropriate technology. Just as we teach road safety, water safety, and the importance of protective gear in sports, we can guide our children to navigate the onlife world more responsibly and safely. This is our goal here at the White Hatter – as we like to say, “ It’s not about NO tech, it’s all about KNOW tech!” It is about “the right tech at the right time” (8)(9)(10)(11)
While it’s natural for parents and caregivers to be concerned about the risks our children face online, it’s crucial to approach the issue with a balanced perspective. Banning access to the internet or technology is not the solution. Instead, we would argue that we should adopt age-appropriate strategies that help mitigate risks while allowing our youth to benefit from the opportunities the onlife world has to offer, thus allowing them to build resiliency. Just as we navigate physical risks by educating, supervising, and implementing safety measures, we can empower our children to make informed decisions and be responsible digital citizens in the rapidly evolving technological era of today’s onlife world.
As one of our favorite social media safety advocates Jocelyn Brewer stated recently,
“Bans are like building higher pool fences without checking the pool gate’s lock. We need to teach decent ‘digital swimming lessons’ because we can’t fence the ocean/whole internet”.
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
References:
1/ https://globalnews.ca/news/10117412/12-year-old-boy-suicide-victim-online-sextortion/
4/ https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productSeries.htm?pc=PCC1459
5/ . https://health-infobase.canada.ca/datalab/drowning-blog.html
6/ https://www.cpha.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/resources/play/play_playground_injuries_e.pdf
7/ https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/outdoor-risky-play
8/ https://thewhitehatter.ca/online-parenting-book/
9/ https://thewhitehatter.ca/blog/
