Unplugged Canada PEI

06/10/2026

A brilliant Guest Op-Ed by Vermont 9th Grader, Agnes M. Derrendinger.

"If it’s not enough to rail on about the destructiveness of Chromebook use in the classroom, then it may be helpful to bring up another issue with that specific widely used product: privacy law violations. Google is currently being sued for selling student data onward to literally anybody, also getting kids addicted to p**n on school devices.

All that families want is the choice to give their kids a childhood: education, health, and play that doesn’t risk either of those things. So give us the choice to opt out of the tech that can ruin it."

Prince Edward Island Government
Public Schools Branch
PEI Home and School Federation
Prince Edward Island Teachers' Federation

Guest Op-Ed by Vermont 9th Grader, Agnes M. Derrendinger

06/09/2026

"I think it's obvious why it's priority. Kids are dying," said Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller on his way into a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Online harms affecting youth meet the criteria for a public health issue. Parental controls alone were never enough. This is the meaningful action and leadership we've been waiting for - let's hope it's only the beginning. 🇨🇦

06/08/2026

Harm reduction measures are extremely important. But the goal should always be prevention.

YES - we need to teach our kids how to recognize online dangers and risks; ensure they know about supports that are available if they get into trouble online; and make sure they know they can ALWAYS talk to us about experiences or exposures that make them feel uncomfortable - without judgment.

But this doesn’t mean we accept the status quo! Giving kids the internet in their pocket - and at their desks - should have never become the norm. But it all happened too fast, and as parents and educators we had the very best intentions in mind. We thought we were giving our kids opportunities…giving them access to all the good in the world…after all, we were promised this technology would enrich their lives. Connection! Digital literacy! But instead, we unintentionally gave everyone in the world access to them. Behind the screens strangers are influencing, manipulating and exploiting them. Our kids are more anxious, depressed, lonely, and sleep deprived than ever before - and for the first time in history, they’re less cognitively capable than we were at their age.

This isn’t about pointing fingers or placing blame - because this ISN’T a parent problem, a teacher problem or a kid problem. It’s a societal problem and it’s going to take all of us working together to turn it around. And we CAN turn it around.

This is an urgent wake up call - it’s time to hit pause and rewind.

Speak up and speak out. Demand brave leadership that acknowledges mistakes and takes meaningful action to fix them. We owe this to our kids.

When it comes to kids and screens, the goal isn’t to manage harm. It’s to prevent exposure.

06/06/2026

06/04/2026

🎉 10,000 Pledges! 🎉

Unplugged Canada recently celebrated a huge milestone — 10,000 parents and caregivers have taken the pledge to delay smartphones and protect childhood.

In just over 18 months since our official launch, this movement has grown faster than we ever imagined:

✨ A brand‑new website
✨ 20 local chapters across the country
✨ Dozens of incredible School Champions (you can sign up in our bio!)
✨ 100+ media stories, podcasts and radio interviews amplifying the message
✨ Countless parent, staff, and student presentations
✨️ Booths, Book Clubs, Coffee Chats, and Community Gatherings
✨ Thousands of volunteer hours poured into building resources for families and schools

And the best part? We’re just getting started.

We hope to welcome many, many more parents and caregivers into this movement — families who want to delay smartphones, protect childhood, and connect with like‑minded parents in their own communities.

💛 Help us reach our next goal of 20,000 pledges. Add your name. Share the pledge. Become a School Champion. Join a chapter. Start a conversation.

Together, we can change the norm.

✨️ www.unpluggedcanada.com

06/04/2026

☎️ OPERATION LANDLINE IS HERE ☎️

A simple way to let kids connect with friends and family without the risks that come with smartphones.

Let's bring back real friendships, real independence, and real childhood.

Let's change the norm.

Share the Operation Landline guide today - get your landline pod set up and ready for summer! ☀️

Available at unpluggedcanada.com or click the link in our bio.

06/03/2026

Prince Edward Island Government
PEI Home and School Federation
Prince Edward Island Teachers' Federation
PEI PC Party
Opposition Green Caucus of Prince Edward Island
PEI Liberals
Public Schools Branch

06/03/2026

A must watch.

Thank you to Nicki Petrossi at Scrolling 2 Death for your continued dedication in uncovering these disturbing findings and publicly calling out companies that build, market and monetize dangerous digital environments and then market the fix (parental controls, teen accounts); profiting from both.

We're not expected to install brakes on our vehicles or test our food for toxins. So why do we accept responsibility to protect our kids from ubiquitous technology that manipulates and exploits them? It’s not even possible because we can’t change the environment.

While we continue to wait for leadership that prioritizes the safety and privacy of our kids, the most effective way to prevent harm is to delay their entry into these environments where we can.

Sign the Unplugged Canada pledge to delay smartphones until at least 14.

Delay social media until at least 16 (or until it’s been proven to be safe and beneficial for minors)

Check out the resources section of our website for smartphone alternatives.

There's strength in numbers. If we do it together, it will get easier.

05/29/2026

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is calling for urgent online protection and tech accountability in a powerful new PSA.

“You Would Do Anything” features a haunting adapted version of Meat Loaf’s “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” showing parental love and the protective measures they take to ensure their children’s safety.

Reports of child sexual victimization online are climbing as well as direct reports from youth themselves. In 2025, Cybertip.ca received over 28,000 reports with 26% coming from minors. When comparing 2020 and 2025 we’ve also seen a 300% increase in reports of sextortion and an increase in extreme online sexual violence. Through Project Arachnid, C3P’s tool that helps detect known child sexual abuse and exploitation material, CP3 has sent over 140 million removal notices to over 1,500 electronic service providers since 2017.

Countries around the world are passing laws to better protect children online — Canada isn’t one of them.

Parents can’t do this alone. It’s time for government to hold tech companies accountable for the harm they cause our children.

A question for our leaders: What are you waiting for?

Protectchildren.ca/you-would-do-anything

Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Prince Edward Island Government
PEI PC Party
PEI Liberals
Opposition Green Caucus of Prince Edward Island

Countries around the world are passing laws to better protect children online — Canada isn’t one of them. Parents can’t do this alone. It’s time for government to hold tech companies accountable for the harm they cause our children.

05/28/2026

Unplugged Canada is a grassroots movement led by parent volunteers across the country.

By encouraging the delay of smartphones and social media, and advocating for a federally regulated social media age minimum, we're on a mission to change the norm so our kids can be kids a little longer.

We have a library of curated resources - including a School Champion Playbook packed with suggestions for bringing the Unplugged Canada pledge to your child's school.

Societal norms don't shift overnight - we need all hands on deck.

You can help by sharing our resources in your community!