We Are Protected
UNICEF Canada defines protection as ensuring young people are safe both online and offline—at home, school, work, and in their communities. Protection means freedom from bullying, discrimination, exploitation, or harm, while having access to safe environments and trusted people. It also includes opportunities to build skills for managing risks and receiving support, advocacy, and justice when harm occurs. Our research asks: How safe do young people feel online, and how do digital technologies shape their safety in positive or negative ways?
Watch Digital Portraits
Hear directly from Canadian Gen Z youth in these short videos. Filmed 2024–2025.
to choose from 30 videos
Mini Literature Review
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Resources
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Explore Resources By:
Research – Reports, articles, findings, background reading
For Youth – Interactive tools, guides, and activities designed for youth
Supporting Youth – Resources for educators, parents, policymakers, and practitioners
Impact of Regulation on Children’s Digital Lives
Digital Futures for Children
How UK/EU privacy laws shifted platforms toward safer defaults for kids—private accounts, limits on targeting—and what still needs work.
Read the Report
On Compliance
5Rights Foundation
Articles, briefs, and press on making digital services meet children’s rights and regulatory standards.
Learn More
Child Online Safety Toolkit
5Rights Foundation
Practical guidance for policymakers and advocates to build age-appropriate, safe-by-design digital spaces.
Get the Toolkit
Building Resilience to Online Misinformation
MediaSmarts (Canada)
Canadian research on how misinformation spreads—and strategies that help youth recognize and resist it.
Read the Report
Fact Checking!
MediaSmarts
Hands-on tools and videos—like “Break the Fake” and the Teen Fact-Checking Network—to verify claims and stop the spread.
Explore Resources
Online Safety Resources
UNICEF Australia
Guides for parents and teachers to help kids navigate risks, report harm, and stay safe online.
View Guides
Who’s Watching? Surveillance Capitalism
5Rights Foundation – Podcast
How data-driven business models affect children’s rights and democracy, in plain language.
Listen Now
Convention on the Rights of the Child
United Nations
The global treaty protecting children from harm and upholding their rights—offline and online.
Read the Convention
Children’s Rights in the Digital Age – In Our Own Words
5Rights Foundation
A youth version of General Comment No. 25—clear explanations of digital rights and how to use them.
Read Now
MediaSmarts
Canada’s Centre for Digital Media Literacy
Programs and classroom-ready lessons to build critical thinking, privacy awareness, and safer online habits.
Visit Site
Internet Matters
Guides for Parents & Educators
Step-by-step safety guides, device controls, and advice for tackling bullying, grooming, and other online risks.
View Guides
Centre for Humane Technology
Designing for Wellbeing & Safety
Research and tools to reduce harms from attention-driven platforms and support healthier tech ecosystems.
Explore
Centre for Digital Rights
Advocacy & Policy
Legal and policy initiatives to protect people—especially children—from exploitative digital practices.
Visit Site
Media Ecosystem Observatory
MEO (Canada)
Independent research tracking misinformation and harmful narratives—useful for educators and policy makers.
Learn More
Digital Futures for Children
Rights-Respecting Digital World
A research hub that amplifies children’s voices and builds the evidence base for safer, rights-based digital design.
Visit SiteComplete the Survey!
Join the research conversation and see what others are saying (no email required).
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