Bill S-210: Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act

What is Bill S-210?

 

Kids are being exposed to online pornography at increasingly younger ages and there are several harms associated with youth exposure to pornography. Currently there are no safeguards keeping kids out of pornography websites in Canada—websites that feature content with themes of sexual violence and incest. Bill S-210 would require these websites to adopt robust age verification technology to ensure kids cannot access this content.

We want to see Canada join the likes of France, Germany, the UK, and several US states, all of which have adopted Age Verification laws in order to keep kids safe online.

Help us Take Action

Your support is needed. Here are 2 ways to contact your MP and ask them to support Bill S-210.

1. Send our pre-written letter. It will be sent to your MP and other relevant ministers.
2. Or, search for your MP’s contact info and reach out to them directly. Phone calls are especially effective.

More about Bill S-210: the Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act

Read the full text of Bill S-210 and track its progress.

Bill S-210 passed through the Senate. It is now in Committee in the House of Commons.

Here are some of the stated purposes of the act:

“The purpose of this Act is to protect public health and public safety and, in particular, to
(a) protect the mental health of young persons by restricting their access to sexually explicit material;
(b)  protect Canadians — in particular, young persons and women — from the harmful effects of the exposure of young persons to sexually explicit material, including demeaning material and material depicting sexual violence; and
(c) deter organizations that make sexually explicit material available on the Internet for commercial purposes from allowing young persons to access that material.”

 

Misrepresentations About Bill S-210

In this video from May 2024 Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne clarifies Bill S-210’s purpose and addresses misrepresentations that have emerged from critics of the bill.

 

Next steps

• Spread the news on social media & encourage your friends to act!
• Read and share our Op-ed , our blog post , and this FAQ page
• Checkout our FREE youth training to educate teens on sexual exploitation & pornography
• Access books to aid parents, caregivers, & educators
• Learn the harms – there is decades worth of peer-reviewed research