Archbishop Miller calls for ‘robust limitations’ on child access to explicit online material

Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller has sent a letter to Members of Parliament within the Archdiocese of Vancouver, urging them to support Bill S-210, which would restrict young people’s access to sexually explicit material online.

Toronto Archbishop Francis Leo has written a similar letter to MPs in his jurisdiction. 

According to the Parliament of Canada website, the purpose of Bill S-210 is “to protect public health and public safety and, in particular, to:

1. protect the mental health of young persons by restricting their access to sexually explicit material;
2. protect Canadians — in particular, young persons and women — from the harmful effects of the exposure of young persons to sexually explicit material, including demeaning material and material depicting sexual violence; and
3. deter organizations that make sexually explicit material available on the Internet for commercial purposes from allowing young persons to access that material.”

Catholics wishing to respectfully express their views on this matter are welcome to contact their local MP. Contact information can be found at ourcommons.ca/members/en.

September 12, 2024 

An Open Letter to All Federal Members of Parliament 
in the Archdiocese of Vancouver 

On behalf of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, I am writing to express concern regarding the unrestricted access to online pornography in Canada, particularly in relation to the active Bill S-210, An Act to Restrict Young Persons' Online Access to Sexually Explicit Material. The Archdiocese of Vancouver, with close to 400,000 Catholics and over 16,000 students in our 52 schools, is requesting your support to pass Bill S-210 for the safety of all individuals, and especially that of the most vulnerable: our children and youth. 

Teachers and administrators in Canadian schools, as well as all levels of government, must support parents in their responsibility of providing care, health and safety for their children. Parents need the collaboration of government in demanding that internet companies, such as Pornhub, put in place robust limitations so that children with cell phones and other devices cannot unwittingly be exposed to pornography. 

Bill S-210 seeks to prevent sexually explicit material from being available to underage youth on the internet. It would require internet service providers and sites reliably to verify the age of the potential users. It would restrict children and youth from premature access to adult content on the internet. 

Research shows that there are serious long-term detrimental effects on children's psychological development when viewing pornography, including the increased risk of sexual exploitation and violence. Canada would do well to follow other countries, such as Australia and the UK, that have already taken steps to prioritize protecting underage youth from exposure to pornography over the interests of the online industry, which must be held accountable for allowing underage youth to access adult sites. 

We understand that the Senate has passed Bill S-210 unanimously and that it has passed the second reading in the House of Commons, and has now been referred to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. We are encouraged by the efforts of all parties thus far and are hopeful that Parliament will move quickly to enact Bill S-210 this fall. 

In conclusion, please carefully consider the true gravity of this issue and take this positive step forward to ensure that young people in Canada are protected from all the serious harms that come from viewing online pornography. 

With gratitude for supporting our youth and children in this matter, I am

Sincerely yours,
+J. Michael Miller
 Archbishop of Vancouver 

Your voice matters! Join the conversation by submitting a Letter to the Editor here.