Bill S-209
In committee · Commons
Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act
Requires websites that host pornographic content to verify that users are adults before allowing access, protecting children from stumbling onto explicit material online.
Sponsor · Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne
What it means for you
If you're a parent, websites showing adult content would be legally required to check that your child is not the one accessing it — similar to how age checks work for alcohol or tobacco.
The debate · 6 points
Supporters say
- Early exposure to online pornography harms children and amounts to a form of child abuse. Age checks would limit their access.
- Age verification can protect privacy. Users prove their age to a third party and then show a digital key to the site, so the site never learns their identity.
- The bill has passed the Senate several times and has been studied extensively. Children need action now, and Parliament has delayed too long.
Critics say
- Third-party age verification providers, often located outside Canada, could expose users' sensitive personal data to a second harm.
- The definition of sexually explicit material is very broad and could unintentionally cover mainstream images.
- Mandatory age checks raise concerns about freedom of expression and censorship, and some people distrust government action online.
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