THE POSSIBILITY
The digital world has brought enormous benefits to young people, but it was not designed with children in mind. As Canada developed new privacy and online harms legislation, there was an opportunity to put children’s rights at the centre of how online platforms are regulated.
THE APPROACH
The Art of the Possible chaired the Alliance for Protecting Children’s Rights and Safety Online, bringing together leading Canadian and international children’s rights organizations, including Plan International, UNICEF Canada, Right To Play, Save the Children, the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children, the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, the 5Rights Foundation, the Canadian Paediatric Society and Global Dignity Canada.
Grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Alliance developed concrete policy recommendations and proposed children’s rights amendments to the Prime Minister’s Office and key MPs working on Canada’s privacy and online harms legislation.
THE IMPACT
The Alliance successfully brought specific children’s rights amendments directly to federal decision-makers, advancing a preventive, rights-based approach to protecting children online.
Although the legislation did not pass before the parliamentary session ended, the coalition established a common policy agenda and helped advance children’s rights within Canada’s legislative discussions on online safety and privacy.
