Grant: Team Grant: Healthy Youth

In Canada and across the world, youth mental health has been in decline and social media and has been identified as a possible influence. There is now a consensus that there is an urgent need to limit the influences from social media that are creating negative health impacts on youth. Online harms are related to impacts on development, addiction, negative body image, sexual exploitation, self-harm and suicide. As a result of their stage of development, children and young people are at greater risk of negative health impacts. Further, online harms are known to exacerbate inequities. It is important to recognize that the business practice of tech industry, that prioritize profit over public health and safety, are contributing to harmful impacts on young people. Solutions designed to support child and youth wellbeing must address their commercial practices. Further, it is critical to include youth voice within collaborative approaches focused on addressing online harms. This research will engage diverse children, youth and their families to support the development of critical policy and practice solutions to create healthy online spaces for young people. This will be achieved in collaboration with Youth Leads and the Students Commission of Canada, and will include the following main elements: 1)A multi-level youth engagement approach that involves diverse young people 2)In-depth exploration of child, youth and family experiences related to online spaces 3)Analysis of policy focused on addressing online harms 4)Analysis of the business practices of key tech industry impacting children and youth 5)Environmental scan of youth-informed solutions to create safe online spaces 6)Co-design of recommendations to create healthier online contexts This work will support the development of healthier online spaces and greater health equity for children and youth across Canada.