By Janet E Silver | PUBLISHED December 4, 2024 6:00amET
As the federal government’s bill to address online harms (Bill C-63) remains stalled in the House of Commons, nearly 90 per cent of Canadians say online hate is having severe negative consequences, according to an Abacus Data poll commissioned by CPAC.
The survey found 87 per cent of respondents believe online hate is having a severe impact overall with 47 per cent believing that name-calling and insults have been normalized and 87 per cent saying this cyberbullying and online abuse is harming youth specifically.
Statistics Canada reports that online child exploitation, hate and aggression among young people as well as cyberbullying and abuse are on the rise.
“I asked Canadians … hundreds of questions every week about a range of things and to find, you know, close to 90 per cent believing that something is a problem these days… is an indication of how widespread public recognition is of the problem, “ said David Coletto, Founder and CEO of Abacus Data.
“It's not so much a surprise, but it should shock us … that there are certain people in the country who seem to be getting the brunt of this bullying. And it's simply because of who they are, not necessarily because of anything they've done.”
The abuse is happening through social media, gaming platforms and direct messages online. Perpetrators use this technology to harass, threaten, shame and scare their targets and this abuse is impacting their well-being. A 2023 Statistics Canada report found that one in four adolescents had been cyberbullied and it was taking a toll on their mental health.
Many countries are adopting laws to force Big Tech companies to implement guardrails to counter this abuse. Last month, Australia passed a law banning those under 16 from accessing and using social media. The U.K. enacted its Online Safety Act in 2023 to protect users against harmful content and earlier this year the European Commission took similar action with its Digital Services Act.
Here in Canada, a broad coalition including children’s advocacy groups, medical associations and digital tech organizations is urging federal politicians to find common ground and pass a bill to protect users against online harms.
Cyberbullying and online abuse are also affecting some of those very same elected officials and others considering political life.
The Abacus Data poll shows that more than half of respondents, 58 per cent, view online hate and bullying as a deterrent to running for office.
“I think [online harms] has a huge effect on our democracy and who we recruit. But it also prevents, I think, political leaders, whether they are party leaders or members of parliament or members of legislatures across the country, from doing their job effectively by standing up, by voicing their opinions,” Coletto said.
“Violence occurring in a digital format is still violence,” said Sabreena Delhon, CEO of the Samara Centre for Democracy. “And the reality is… if people don't feel safe … then they're not going to step forward or increasingly will be attracting people who also want to facilitate this type of violent and uncivil behaviour, which is going to have a very corrosive and damaging effect on the practice of our politics in Canada.”
The Abacus Data survey of 2001 Canadian residents aged 18 and over was conducted between April 11 to 14, 2024. The margin of error for a probability sample of this size is plus or minus 2.19 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.
