Online Harms Now Ranked the #1 Threat Facing Children in Canada


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Raising Canada report calls on Parliament to make children its top priority this fall by passing a stronger Safe Social Media Act

OTTAWA, ON, September 8, 2026 – As millions of children return to school this fall, Children First Canada (CFC) is issuing an urgent wake-up call to governments, parents, educators, healthcare professionals and communities across the country.

Today, CFC released Raising Canada 2026, its annual report on the state of the nation’s children. For the first time since the report was launched in 2018, online harms have been identified as the number one threat facing children in Canada, reflecting the profound and rapidly escalating impact of the digital world on children’s rights to health, safety, and protection from violence.

Produced in collaboration with PolicyWise for Children & Families, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), and the University of Calgary, the report draws on the latest evidence from researchers, clinicians, governments, community organizations and young people across Canada.

The report concludes that online harms are no longer simply one issue among many. They are accelerating many of the other threats affecting children, including poor mental health, declining physical activity and play, bullying, racism and discrimination fueled by online hate, violence and child abuse, vaccine misinformation contributing to declining immunization, and even climate change through the growing environmental footprint of artificial intelligence data centres.

Canada’s children continue to fall behind internationally.

Canada now ranks 22nd out of 37 high-income countries on UNICEF’s Child Wellbeing Index and 72nd out of 194 countries on the 2026 KidsRights Index, underscoring the urgent need for stronger action to protect children and uphold their rights.

The release of the report marks the next phase of the Countdown for Kids, Children First Canada’s national movement calling on Parliament to strengthen and pass the Safe Social Media Act.

The most alarming finding in Raising Canada 2026 is the scale of online sexual exploitation:
• The Canadian Centre for Child Protection processes more than 100,000 reports of online child sexual abuse every month.
• Police-reported online child sexual exploitation incidents rose 347% between 2014 – 2024.
• Police recorded 16,905 incidents of online child sexual exploitation in 2024, at a rate of 223 per 100,000 children and youth aged 17 and under.
• Cybertip.ca processed 28,116 reports from the public in 2025, with Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta accounting for the largest volumes.
• Violent online networks such as 764 are targeting Canadian children through gaming platforms, social media and messaging apps, according to law enforcement warnings.

Other alarming findings:

• Nearly 1.4 million children, or one in five (18.3%), now live below the poverty line, a third consecutive annual increase.
• 30.8% of children under 18, roughly 2.4 million kids, live in food-insecure households.
• Nearly half of Canadian youth aged 15 to 17, 44.9%, report experiencing emotional abuse.
• Canada lost its measles elimination status in November 2025, the first time since achieving it in 1998.
• Anti-Muslim hate crimes increased 173% between 2020 and 2024, while Antisemitic incidents increased by 145.6% increase since 2022.

The top 10 threats, as reported in Raising Canada 2026, are:

1. Online Harms
2. Unintentional and Preventable Injuries
3. Violence and Child Abuse
4. Child Poverty and Food Insecurity
5. Poor Mental Health
6. Vaccine-Preventable Illnesses
7. Bullying
8. Systemic Racism and Discrimination
9. Lack of Physical Activity and Play
10. Climate Change
Emerging Threat: The Canadian School Experience
Watchlist: Infant Mortality

The full Raising Canada report and infographic highlighting the most alarming findings are here.

“Childhood is changing before our eyes, and the evidence is impossible to ignore. Online harms are now the number one threat because they undermine children’s most fundamental rights to survive and thrive. The harms are no longer confined to teenagers on social media; they are affecting every child, from birth through adolescence, through AI-powered toys and excessive screentime in the early years, to social media, gaming, messaging apps, and AI chatbots that shape how kids learn, connect, and grow. We cannot continue asking children to navigate digital environments that adults have failed to make safe. As Parliament returns this fall, protecting children must be at the top of the national agenda. Passing a stronger Safe Social Media Act is an essential first step, but it cannot be the last.”— Sara Austin, Founder & CEO, Children First Canada

“Every day at SickKids we see the consequences of the challenges highlighted in this report. Children’s health is shaped not only by what happens in hospitals, but by the environments in which they live, learn, play and increasingly spend their time online. Raising Canada reminds us that protecting childhood requires coordinated action across healthcare, education, government, technology and communities. We all have a role to play.” — Dr. Ronald Cohn, President & CEO, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)

“The strongest policy decisions are informed by both evidence and experience. Raising Canada gives us an opportunity to learn from research, from young people, and from communities. PolicyWise is proud to partner with Children First Canada to ensure that knowledge strengthens the systems of support that help children and youth thrive.” — Kristine Williamson, President & CEO, PolicyWise for Children & Families

“Children’s health extends far beyond the walls of a hospital or physician’s office. The evidence presented in Raising Canada reinforces what healthcare professionals across the country are seeing every day: children’s mental, physical and social wellbeing are deeply interconnected. As we head into a new school year, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to work together to create healthier digital environments for children.” — Alex Munter, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Medical Association

“Amanda’s story should have been the wake-up call Canada needed. Instead, too many families have experienced similar heartbreak over the past thirteen years. Standing on Parliament Hill this year with children, parents and families whose lives have also been changed forever, our message was simple: time is up. This report confirms what children have been trying to tell us for years. We must act with urgency so that we don’t lose one more child.” — Carol Todd, Founder, Amanda Todd Legacy Society

“Young people aren’t asking adults to solve everything for us. We’re asking them to listen. We deserve to grow up in a digital world that is designed with our safety and wellbeing in mind. Children have a right to be heard, and we hope Parliament will hear our voices and act.” — Zac Fathally, 12 years old, Youth Advisory Council, Children First Canada

A Call to Parliament

As Members of Parliament return to Ottawa this month, Children First Canada and its partners in the Countdown for Kids are calling on all parties to make children a national priority by:

  • Strengthening and passing the Safe Social Media Act (Bill C-34) before year-end, ensuring the legislation protects children across social media, gaming platforms, messaging services, AI and emerging technologies, and establishing strong accountability for technology companies.
  • Investing in prevention, including digital literacy for children, parents and educators, and doubling down on investments in children’s mental health and wellbeing.
  • Creating a National Strategy for Children and Youth that will tackle the top 10 threats to childhood by passing Bill S-212 this fall and ensuring children and young people have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their lives.

Canadians are encouraged to read the report, sign the Raising Canada Pledge, and contact their Member of Parliament and Senators in support of a stronger Safe Social Media Act and the National Strategy for Children and Youth by visiting ChildrenFirstCanada.org.

Media Contact
Andrea Chrysanthou, Chair of the Board, Children First Canada
andrea@amplifyonline.ca
416-797-8194

About Children First Canada and the Raising Canada Report

Children First Canada (CFC) is a national charity with a bold vision to make Canada the best place in the world for kids to grow up. Through research, advocacy, and youth empowerment, CFC works to advance the rights and wellbeing of Canada’s 8 million children and youth.

Raising Canada is CFC’s annual report on the state of the nation’s children. It tracks emerging and persistent issues affecting children’s rights to a safe and healthy childhood while identifying evidence-based solutions to help make Canada the best places in the world for kids to grow up.

Top findings from Raising Canada 2026: The Top 10 Threats to Childhood

  1. Online Harms
    • The Canadian Centre for Child Protection processes more than 100,000 reports of online child sexual abuse every month, and police-reported online child sexual exploitation incidents rose 347% between 2014 and 2024.
  2. Unintentional and Preventable Injuries
  3. Violence and Child Abuse
    • Among Canadian youth aged 15 to 17, 44.9% report emotional abuse, 22.3% physical abuse, 5.3% sexual abuse, and 39.4% report exposure to emotional intimate partner violence between caregivers.
    • Law enforcement authorities and medical experts are increasingly linking incidents of child abuse with online harms, particularly the exposure of children to pornography and the creation of child sexual abuse material.
  4. Child Poverty and Food Insecurity
    • Child poverty has risen for a third consecutive year in 2025, with nearly 1.4 million children, one out of five (18.3%), now living below the poverty line.
    • Food insecurity has reached a generational high, with 30.8% of children under 18 living in food-insecure households.
  5. Poor Mental Health
    • Mental health disorders are now the leading health burden for young people globally, accounting for roughly 45% of the health challenges affecting youth aged 10 to 24 measured in disability-adjusted life years.
    • Girls aged 15 to 17 have the highest rates of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for mental health disorders, and children in the lowest-income neighbourhoods are hospitalized at almost twice the rate of those in the highest-income neighbourhoods.
  6. Vaccine-Preventable Illnesses
    • Canada is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in decades, with more than 1,000 cases reported by June 2026.
    • In November 2025, Canada lost its measles elimination status for the first time since achieving it in 1998, driven by declining childhood vaccination coverage and outbreaks in under-vaccinated communities.
  7. Bullying
    • The majority of Canadian youth aged 12 to 17, or 71%, reported experiencing at least one form of bullying in the past 12 months.
  8. Systemic Racism and Discrimination
    • Police-reported hate crimes targeting Muslim people increased 173% between 2020 and 2024.
    • Antisemitic incidents reached a record 6,800 in 2025, a 145.6% increase since 2022 and the highest volume since the audit began in 1982.
    • Children and youth aged 0 to 24 now make up 34.6% of victims of violent hate crime, up from 29.6% in the previous three-year period.
  9. Lack of Physical Activity and Play
    • Only 52% of children aged 5 to 11 and 21% of youth aged 12 to 17 meet national physical activity guidelines, with the figure for girls aged 12 to 17 falling to 8%.
    • Youth (12 to 17 years) are the least active and most sedentary age group in Canada, where 33% of males compared to 8% of females are more likely to meet national physical activity recommendations. (same source as above point)
    • Just 27% of children and youth meet recreational screen time recommendations of no more than two hours a day.
  10. Climate Change
    • Canada is warming at roughly twice the global average rate, with serious impacts to children’s health, safety and education.
    • Federal projections indicate that 2026 to 2030 will likely be the hottest five-year period ever recorded.
    • Canada’s rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and the building of data centres will further accelerate these risks.

Emerging Threat: The Canadian School Experience

For the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Raising Canada identifies a threat related to the Canadian school experience, as schools face growing pressures from chronic absenteeism, escalating violence, increasingly complex learning environments, and the rapid integration of artificial intelligence.

Watchlist: Infant Mortality

For the first time, infant mortality has moved from the Top 10 threats to the Raising Canada Watchlist, reflecting modest improvements in infant health outcomes. The national rate declined from 4.7 to 4.5 deaths per 1,000 live births between 2023 and 2024.

Continued vigilance is needed, particularly for First Nations, Métis and Inuit children and families, and those in northern and remote communities, where longstanding inequities in access to healthcare and the social determinants of health continue to contribute to poorer outcomes.

Acknowledgements

Children First Canada gratefully acknowledges PolicyWise for Children & Families, as the National Presenting Partner of Raising Canada 2026, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the Canadian Medical Association as Co-Presenting Partners, for their leadership, partnership and commitment to improving the lives of children and youth across Canada.