Clockwise

It's a persistent phenomenon: the faster we move into the future, the more we find it embedded with the bones of the past. Why else, for instance, would we still talk about “dialling” a phone, and later about “hanging it up”? Few people remember the early TV remote controls that worked by sending high-frequency sounds, but we still call remotes “clickers.” We still say “stay tuned,” “CC” (carbon copy) e-mails, “rewind” DVDs, and “post” online messages. Even new media darling YouTube contains an old-media artefact of this kind: the name is obviously meant to make us think of television, the “boob tube,” but few TVs have tubes in them anymore.

Pornography - Overview

Being exposed to sexual content is one of Canadian parents’ top worries about their kids’ online experience and also one of kids’ own top concerns. It’s not hard to see why: while there are no longer any explicitly pornographic sites among kids’ favourite platforms and websites – and the services that are their favourites such as TikTok and Instagram ban sexually explicit content – almost a third of Canadian kids have been exposed to porn online without looking for it.

Outcome Chart - Alberta - Career and Life Management Grade 10

This outcome chart contains media-related learning outcomes from the Alberta Grade 10 Career and Life Management curriculum, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.

Gambling - Overview

Young Canadians today are growing up in a culture where gambling is legal, easily accessible – especially online – and generally presented as harmless entertainment.

MediaSmarts launches new resources for classrooms and homes in recognition of Media Literacy Week

Ottawa, ON (November 4, 2013) – MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital and media literacy, recognized the start of Canada’s 8^th annual Media Literacy Week with the release of a series of new resources and activities for parents, teachers, children and youth.

The week, which runs from November 4 to 8, is hosted by MediaSmarts and the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF). Activities are taking place across Canada to recognize the importance of media and digital literacy skills for young people.

Canada's First Web Awareness Day to promote Internet literacy resources for parents

National initiative launched by Canadian public libraries with Media Awareness Network, the Canadian Library Association and Bell Canada

The AI industry

The AI industry encompasses both major technology companies that integrate algorithms into existing products and firms focused primarily on developing and deploying specialized AI services, primarily Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative tools.

Almost half of Canadian youth say they see racist or sexist content online often

New research conducted during the pandemic by MediaSmarts found almost half of Canadian youth (47%) ages 12 to 17 see racist or sexist content online at least once a week. These findings are shared in MediaSmarts’ new Encountering Harmful and Discomforting Content Online report, which is the second in a series of reports in the latest phase of Young Canadians in a Wireless World, a national survey of 1,058 youth ages 9 to 17 conducted in Autumn 2021.