Child advocates say the countdown is on for the federal government to enact tougher laws against online harms, especially as artificial intelligence becomes a more frequent component of online child sex exploitation. As part of National Child Day, in a campaign called Countdown for Kids, the charity organization Children First Canada gathered at Parliament in Ottawa to demand lawmakers take action within 40 days. Organizers want to see the Online Harms Act, or Bill C-63, tabled again. “We need them to treat this like the crisis that it is and to act now,” said Sara Austin with Calgary-based Children First Canada. The bill died on the floor in Parliament when the election was called this past spring. “Every single day, kids are paying with their lives, with their mental health and with their safety,” said Austin. “We’ve been told that change is coming, but kids are still getting hurt every day,” said Zachary Fathally, 12, a youth adviser for Children First Canada. “Parents can’t do this alone; kids can’t do this alone. We need the government and tech companies to do their jobs to make sure that being online doesn’t mean being unsafe.” According to Statistics Canada, online child exploitation incidents jumped 59 per cent from 2022 to 2023. The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit is on high alert about harms to children increasing, especially via AI. “AI is moving at leaps and bounds,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Auger. “The numbers are only increasing every year. The reporting and the offending.” Auger says the ICE unit receives about 3,000 files a year, just for the half of the province south of Red Deer. He says for some youth, it might seem like a harmless joke to create fake nude images with AI, but the consequences are real. “You’ve actually created child sex abuse and exploitation material, formerly known as child pornography, which is a criminal offence and will be investigated and have ramifications for the rest of your life,” he said. Auger says there are no bad apps, games or websites, as the internet itself is rife with risks. Instead, he recommends learning about bad online behaviour and for minors and caregivers to have open and frank discussions. “It’s about prevention, education and deterrence,” he said. Auger says it’s never too early and never too late to have discussions with young people about online harms.
