1,075 signatures as of today!
We have now surpassed 1,000 signatures. 1,075 as of today.
Back in February, I told you what would happen when we hit that number: I'd formally submit this petition to the ministers who can act on it, and ask for a direct response. Done. This week I sent formal letters to Minister Evan Solomon (Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation) and Minister Mélanie Joly (Industry), the two decision-makers this petition names, and to Minister Marc Miller (Canadian Identity and Culture), who is actually sponsoring Bill C-34. I also sent one to my own MP, Jeff Kibble, because he can raise this directly in the House.
The timing lines up. On June 10, the government introduced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act. It's at second reading in the House of Commons right now. A companion bill, C-36, covering children's data specifically, followed on June 15. (Canada.ca, June 2026)
Here's what they get right, and it's most of what we asked for: a new Digital Safety Commission of Canada with real enforcement power, a legal duty to act responsibly that requires platforms to assess and mitigate the harm their own algorithms cause, and financial penalties for companies that don't comply.
Here's what's still missing, and it's the part we've said matters most since day one: the bill doesn't put the actual design restrictions, infinite scroll, autoplay, notification traps, the exact features named in the LA jury verdict against Meta and YouTube, into the law itself. Those specifics are left to regulations the new commission will write later, after the bill has already passed.
And the cost of leaving it to "later" keeps climbing. Two weeks ago, on August 6, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay a further $567 million, on top of the $375 million jury verdict from March, bringing the total in that one case to $942 million. $420 million of it is earmarked specifically for treating young people harmed by these design choices. (PBS NewsHour, August 6, 2026)
Second reading is the moment MPs can be pushed to write those specifics into the bill now, while it's still open for amendment. Once it reaches committee and beyond, that gets much harder to change.
So here's a new ask:
If you have an MP, email them. I sent mine a letter this week; tell yours you support Bill C-34, and that you want the specific engagement-design restrictions, not just an age limit, written into the bill text before it clears committee.
Keep sharing the petition. Every signature added before that happens makes the ask harder to set aside.
We didn't get here by accident. We got here because 1,075 of you said this problem is real and specific. Let's use the moment.
Thank you for standing up for our kids.
— Shadi