Episode Details

Social media is shaping how children learn, connect, and spend their time online. For many parents, keeping up with cyberbullying, harmful content, online predators, unrealistic beauty standards, and AI-generated content can feel overwhelming.

In this episode, I am talking to Cara Des Granges, Director of Government Relations and Policy at Friends of Canadian Media. We discuss Canada's proposed Safe Social Media Act, what platform accountability could mean for families, the role parents play in online safety, and how we can create a safer digital environment for children and youth. 

Cara and I talk about:

• Why online safety should not rest solely on parents' shoulders
• What Canada's proposed Safe Social Media Act aims to achieve
• How cyberbullying, harmful content, misinformation, and AI-generated content affect children
• Why social media platforms may need greater accountability for user safety
• How other countries, including Australia, are approaching social media restrictions for youth
• What platform accountability could look like in practice
• Why parents often feel overwhelmed trying to keep up with rapidly changing technology
• The challenges of understanding algorithms and the content being pushed to children
• What digital sovereignty means and why it matters for Canadian families
• Concerns around privacy, age verification, and freedom of expression
• Practical ways parents can start conversations about online experiences with their children
• How to support children who may be experiencing anxiety, bullying, or harmful online interactions
• Why creating safer digital spaces requires collaboration between families, governments, and technology companies

Cara Des Granges is the Director of Government Relations and Policy at Friends of Canadian Media. She works to support public broadcasting, strengthen Canadian cultural policy, and advocate for greater accountability from digital platforms. Her work focuses on issues including media policy, democracy, online harms, and the protection of Canadian voices in the digital landscape.

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