I can talk. I can always talk.
These social media platforms are a business model for big tech. They have algorithms that not only grab our kids; they grab adults as well. How many times have you seen adults who can scroll endlessly? If you look at brain science and at the neuroplasticity of the brain, everything we see and watch embeds into our brains. We can't unsee it. What our kids are seeing harms them in some ways.
I teach technology. I am not anti-technology. I feel that we need some regulations in place to ensure safety, for the same reason we have regulations in place for safety in vehicles, the same reason we have CSA-approved items that we use in our homes, and the same reason we watch to make sure, as parents and grandparents, the playground is safe for our kids. That digital playground doesn't have the oversight needed to keep our kids safe right now. That's why I am imploring our government....
I do not want our testimonies to be shelved. This is my fifth standing committee. I have probably met some of you in other standing committees that I've spoken at. Each time, I ask this: Please create action. We're not creating action. We're creating words. We're creating briefs. We're creating something that is stored somewhere.
This is the time—right now—with this committee. We need something done. If we don't do something, we'll lose more Canadian kids, more Canadian youth and more Canadian young adults to online harms.