Find Resources
A Co-Viewing Christmas: Dealing with Problematic Classics
Many families have media traditions around the holidays – whether that’s watching A Charlie Brown Christmas together or staging a Mario Kart tournament on New Year’s Day. It’s great to make media a family activity, and it’s also an opportunity to co-view with your kids. In fact, holiday movies practically demand co-viewing: whether your tastes run to It’s a Wonderful Life, Die Hard or Christmas Vacation, odds that that if you watch with your (appropriately-aged) kids you’ll see something that makes you uncomfortable. Maybe it’s a racist stereotype in a cartoon, or a scene that makes stalking and harassment look romantic, or yet another kids’ movie with just one female character. What do you say?
Managing tech at home during the holidays
The holidays are a perfect time to cozy up as a family and watch festive movies and TV shows together. It’s also a time when kids are on the receiving end of a lot of marketing, and some kids will be given new tech devices as gifts. We've compiled some of our best resources for managing tech at home during the holidays, from setting rules around digital devices, to teaching kids about consumerism, to engaging with your kids on the content you’re watching together.Communicating Safely Online: Tip Sheet for Youth
a. Types of Unhealthy Online Relationships Exploitation: Some people use digital media to get teenagers involved in relationships they’re not ready for.Communicating Safely Online: Tip Sheet for Parents and Trusted Adults
a. Types of Unhealthy Online Relationships Online exploitation is when someone uses digital media to find teens and get them involved in romantic or sexual relationships.
Looking for one of MediaSmarts' older games?
Privacy Playground, Cybersense and Nonsense, Top Secret!, Allies and Aliens, Passport to the Internet, Jo Cool or Jo Fool, and MyWorld have been retired because Flash Player is no longer supported.Talking to kids about vaping
Even though you're competing against peer pressure and million-dollar marketing campaigns, research has shown that kids are less likely to get involved in smoking or vaping if they've discussed them with their parents.Young Canadians Speak Out: A Qualitative Research Report on Privacy and Consent
Informed Youth Promote Clarity for All It’s something we’ve all done before: scrolled past a wall of text to click “I Agree” with no idea what we’ve agreed to.
Speak Up! Your guide to changing the world, online and off
Thanks to the internet and social media like Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok, it’s easier than ever to share your views and encourage others to join you in making change. And, due to research conducted as part of the Digital Ecosystem Research Challenge (DERC), we know a lot about how some Canadians are using digital media to get involved in politics. This guide will help show you the ways you can use social networks to make your voice heard and make a difference.What should I do if someone sends me a sext?
Half of Canadian youth aged 16 to 20 have been sent a sext (a nude, partly nude or sexy photo) that they didn’t ask for. Whether you call them sexts, nudes, naked selfies or just pics, if you receive an intimate image like this, it’s your job to make the right choice about the sender’s privacy. There is no excuse to forward a sext that someone sent you.