{"id":48655,"date":"2026-03-27T01:43:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T08:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=48655"},"modified":"2026-03-26T17:27:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T00:27:07","slug":"call-for-digital-literacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2026\/03\/27\/call-for-digital-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Call for digital literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The federal government must develop a comprehensive national digital literacy program aimed at protecting young people from a wide range of online harms, because current efforts are fragmented and insufficient, according to B\u2019nai Brith Canada.<\/p>\n

The national advocacy group is proposing a major national project on this front, something that emerged after B\u2019nai Brith\u2019s appearance before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage last December. The committee was studying the impact of social media on young people.<\/p>\n

In its submission, B\u2019nai Brith focused on the risks of online extremism and radicalization. However, testimony before the committee revealed a much broader problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe heard compelling testimony \u2026 from those confronting the impact of exploitation, sex exploitation, financial exploitation, misinformation, disinformation, really the gamut of online harms,\u201d said Richard Robertson, the organization\u2019s director of research and advocacy.<\/p>\n

In response, B\u2019nai Brith launched a campaign in late 2025 calling on Ottawa to fund and implement a national youth digital literacy program. The goal is to consolidate existing resources and ensure they reach young people across the country.<\/p>\n

Robertson stressed that the issue extends beyond education policy and requires a coordinated national response.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t believe this is a curriculum issue. We don\u2019t believe that this is an education issue. This is a national issue,\u201d he said, adding that the problem \u201ctranscends provincial borders.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proposed program would bring together existing tools and expertise developed by various organizations and make them more accessible and impactful. Rather than building entirely new materials, the focus would be on refining and distributing what already exists.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B\u2019nai Brith Canada. (photo from BBC)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of great resources out there \u2026 what we need to do is ensure that those resources are getting to our youth,\u201d Robertson said.<\/p>\n

The campaign is also calling for federal funding \u2013 potentially through the next federal budget \u2013 to support both the development and promotion of the program. B\u2019nai Brith envisions using the same channels that already reach young people, including social media and other digital platforms.<\/p>\n

Campaigns targeting specific demographics \u201care not novel to our society,\u201d Robertson noted, and similar strategies could be used to deliver digital literacy content effectively.<\/p>\n

The organization has begun developing a framework for the proposed program and is seeking to collaborate with experts in Canada and internationally. Early endorsements have come from groups including the Canadian School Libraries Association and the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University.<\/p>\n

While some jurisdictions, including Australia, have restricted young people\u2019s access to social media, B\u2019nai Brith argues that education remains essential regardless of regulatory approaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can try to restrict their access \u2026 but they will find their ways to interact with it,\u201d Robertson said. He added that online harms extend beyond social media to video games, forums and other platforms that are difficult to regulate.<\/p>\n

The organization\u2019s position is that education should complement \u2013 not replace \u2013 regulatory efforts. B\u2019nai Brith has been engaging with government on digital regulation and plans to participate in an upcoming parliamentary study on artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

Robertson said his group has received a positive initial response from policymakers and is hopeful that funding could be included in the next federal budget, either through new allocations or existing programs.<\/p>\n

Beyond federal action, B\u2019nai Brith is also encouraging provincial governments to take steps, particularly within school systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do an excellent job of \u2026 making sure [youth are] literate with technology,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cWe need to make sure that their use of technology is a positive experience by also devoting attention to the dangers.\u201d<\/p>\n

B\u2019nai Brith is seeking support from civil society organizations and individual Canadians as well, as it builds momentum for the initiative.<\/p>\n

The campaign comes as concerns continue to grow about the impact of digital spaces on young people. For B\u2019nai Brith Canada, the urgency is clear: online risks are evolving quickly, and a coordinated national response is needed to help youth navigate them safely.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The federal government must develop a comprehensive national digital literacy program aimed at protecting young people from a wide range of online harms, because current efforts are fragmented and insufficient, according to B\u2019nai Brith Canada. The national advocacy group is proposing a major national project on this front, something that emerged after B\u2019nai Brith\u2019s appearance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[801,22373,755,24738,3076,19919,23513,3753],"class_list":["post-48655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national","tag-antisemitism","tag-awareness","tag-bnai-brith-canada","tag-digital-literacy","tag-education","tag-online-hate","tag-richard-robertson","tag-youth"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48655"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48655\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}