Young Canadians in a Wireless World, Phase IV: Online Meanness and Cruelty

Young Canadians in a Wireless World (YCWW) is Canada’s longest running and most comprehensive research study on young people’s attitudes, behaviours and opinions regarding the internet, technology and digital media. This report is the first of two reports focusing on relationships and technology. This report highlights how often and where youth experience, witness, and engage in online cruelty as well as the reasons or motivations for their engagement. In the report, we also summarize findings related to how young people respond to online meanness and cruelty and from whom they seek support in navigating these harmful experiences.

New interactive game helps kids understand privacy policies and terms of use

Ottawa (March 31, 2016) –To help young people make informed decisions when going online, MediaSmarts, Canada's centre for digital and media literacy, has launched a new educational game, Click if You Agree. The game teaches teens and preteens the skills they need to read and understand the legal policies on websites and in software they use. 

Media Awareness Network Receives International Internet Awareness and Education Award

Ottawa, ON, March 8, 2004—Canada’s Media Awareness Network (MNet) was honoured today as a global leader in Internet safety education by WiredSafety. The WiredKids Excellence in Internet Awareness and Education Award is part of a new international awards program established by U.S.-based WiredSafety, the world’s largest online safety, education and help group.

Learning Strategies Grades 10-12

The purpose of the Learning Strategies open elective credit is to help students “gain transferable skills and strategies that will enhance and increase their school engagement…”[1] 

There are five key areas pertaining to the course:

Business

Many curricular expectations in Ontario Business courses relate to media and digital literacy. The following excerpt from Business Studies, Grades 9 and 10 (2006) detail how media and digital literacy have been integrated into the curriculum:

Outcome Chart - Newfoundland and Labrador - Health Education Grade 7

This outcome chart contains media-related learning outcomes from the Newfoundland and Labrador Grade 7 Health Education with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.

Media Literacy Week 2022 kicks off, bringing with it the first-ever Digital Citizen Day

Canada’s 17^th annual Media Literacy Week starts today and it’s an opportunity to put the spotlight on digital media literacy, and how essential it is that we all know how to use, understand and engage with the digital media we use every day.

Deconstructing Online Hate

The internet has become a prime means of communication worldwide and this unprecedented global reach – combined with the difficulty in tracking communications – makes it an ideal tool for extremists to repackage old hatred, raise funds and recruit members. As the internet has grown and changed, hate groups and movements have adapted, creating websites, forums and social network profiles, becoming active in spaces such as online games and even creating parallel versions of services such as Twitter, YouTube and GoFundMe.

Young Canadians in a Wireless World, Phase IV: Online Privacy and Consent

Young Canadians in a Wireless World (YCWW) is Canada’s longest running and most comprehensive research study on young people’s attitudes, behaviours and opinions regarding the internet, technology and digital media. This report highlights findings related to how youth share and protect their personal information online and how they manage their identities in online spaces; how youth do or do not engage in various privacy practices like reading terms of service or using privacy settings; how youth feel about various forms of interpersonal and corporate surveillance online; and how various rules and practices in the home and between adults and youth can impact online privacy.

Challenging Cyber Bullying - Media Education Tools to Fight Meanness, Harassment and Hate on the Internet

Ottawa, February 12, 2007 – For today’s highly connected generation of young people, being "always on" means that there’s no escaping the social peer pressures of the school yard. The anonymity of online communications means that kids feel freer to do things online they would never do in the real world. The challenge for parents is that cyber bullying often takes place away from the supervision of teachers and parents.