Youth Digital Literacy

Simply put, the kids are not alright.

Our youth are exposed daily to dangerous content and situations online. Exploitation, sexploitation, indoctrination, explicit content, misinformation, disinformation, and extremism are only some of the dangers our children are routinely exposed to on social media and in the digital realm. 

Throughout 2025, B’nai Brith Canada witnessed the increased frequency of antisemitic and hate-based incidents and youth radicalization online. A 2024 report published by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) indicated that violent extremists have adopted the internet as an avenue through which to indoctrinate minors and adolescents and recruit them to participate in their activities. 

We must accept that Canadian youth, as digital natives, will be exposed to online harms. It is our societal responsibility to prepare them to navigate this new reality. Presently, we have left them to fend for themselves, flying blindly through a storm. That is why B’nai Brith Canada is calling for the development of a national youth digital literacy program. Multiple government agencies, including the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), have acknowledged the urgent need for youth digital literacy in Canada, yet little has been done to formally implement a standardized national program. The development and implementation of such a program are an integral part of inculcating Canadian youth against online harms, and we will not stop until the appropriate resources are available across the country.