Last June 6, the National Assembly adopted a motion creating a Select Committee on the Impact of Screens and Social Media on Young People’s Health and Development.
Within the scope of this mandate, the Committee’s members agreed to proceed with special consultations and hearings on the issue to get the viewpoints of a range of organizations and individuals.
Marie-Vincent had the privilege of being invited to a videoconference meeting on Thursday, September 25, 2024 to contribute to the discussions. It also submitted a brief highlighting the effects of the pervasive presence of screens and social media in young people’s lives, particularly from the perspective of online sexual violence.
Based on its expertise in the prevention of sexual violence and online sexual violence as well as on the data gathered for its projects and programs, Marie-Vincent made three recommendations to the Committee:
- Promote a positive and well-rounded education that recognizes the needs and realities of youths and their psychosexual development.
Building a protective community for our youth entails strengthening the capacities of adults – parents and professionals – who often feel powerless. They need to be made aware of approaches that enable them to initiate a dialogue with children and adolescents, to prevent without guilt, to develop a healthy relationship with sexuality (particularly online) and to promote a culture of consent.
- Strengthen young people’s self-protection strategies, particularly through the development of their critical thinking skills.
As social media have become a key part of young people’s lives, let us use them intelligently for educational purposes: by adapting ourselves to youths’ methods of communication, offering them a format in which they are already interested, and ensuring that the platforms are used in an informed manner on a daily basis, with their friends, partners or strangers, including influencers.
- Create synergy between the services and programs already available in Québec and give them the funding they need to make their products sustainable.
To have a lasting impact, it is essential to use existing resources, particularly those offered by not-for-profit organizations, and to provide mission-based rather than project-based funding.
To learn more (in French):
- Read the entire brief here
- View the presentation of Marie-Vincent at the hearings.
- Listen to the interview with Executive Director Stéphanie Gareau of Marie-Vincent, with Patrick Lagacé on 98.5 FM radio.