The provincial government says it plans to introduce regulatory changes that aim to “better protect” student information from being “stolen or used inappropriately.”
On Thursday, Ontario Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery Todd McCarthy said he intends to introduce new legislation next week that would “prohibit the misuse of data created by children and youth participating in schools and societies.” of help for children.”
McCarthy said the new legislation, to be titled “Strengthening Cybersecurity and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act,” will be introduced Monday.
Few details have been provided about the legislation, but the province said future regulations could include “age-appropriate standards” for programs used by students on laptops and other devices at school, as well as “reinforced standards” for software purchased by schools to prevent student information from being used or sold for “predatory marketing” by third parties.
“The proposed law, if passed, will be a comprehensive approach to strengthening cybersecurity and privacy protections in schools, children’s aid societies, hospitals and, indeed, throughout the public sector,” McCarthy said. Thursday.
McCarthy noted that while online platforms provide “many opportunities for children’s education and growth,” there are risks to their privacy.
“Our government wants our children to have a healthy, safe and age-appropriate digital experience when interacting with public sector organizations such as schools, so we are safeguarding their best interests by implementing barriers to better protect them,” the minister said in a written statement.
The province is committed to working with school boards, parents and other stakeholders to ensure appropriate protections are introduced “without impacting the quality of education or interfering with schools’ ability to choose the right tools for the classroom.” “.
The provincial government has also promised to consult with “social media and tech industry experts,” as well as law enforcement officials, to “crack down” on cybercrime, including cyberbullying, trafficking and online victimization of children. The province also noted that work is being done to “ensure artificial intelligence is used responsibly.”
“Today’s announcement includes a commitment to bring together social media executives and technology experts with (us), including the OPP and law enforcement, to address some of the clear concerns that many parents and, frankly, cyber experts are well aware of. regarding access to age-appropriate content, concerns about algorithms and how they are impacting our children, and obviously cyberbullying issues. “All of this will be addressed,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in Thursday’s announcement.
“For the first time, the government will have the ability to establish those limitations, safeguards and controls.”
The education minister said this new legislation, along with new rules he announced last month on cell phone use in schools, are some of the ways the province is working to protect students from harm in line.
In late April, Lecce announced new rules that would limit students’ use of cell phones in schools.
Starting in September, students in kindergarten through sixth grade will be expected to keep their phones on silent and out of sight throughout the day, unless otherwise permitted by an educator.
For students in grades 7-12, cell phones will only be prohibited during class time.
Lecce said the recent arrests of dozens of suspects by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in a multi-jurisdictional investigation into child sexual exploitation underscores the need for such protections.
On Wednesday, the OPP announced that 64 suspects face a total of 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
“It is a great tragedy to see so many young people being victimized in our country,” Lecce said.
“There are still too many young people who are exploited online, among peers, sometimes by predatory adults. “We need to do more to strengthen and protect our children when they learn or interact online.”