Summary#
Bill 15, the Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month Act, 2025, would create a new Ontario Act. It would proclaim October each year as Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month; raising awareness of children’s online safety and privacy is the bill’s stated goal, not a required result.
- The proclamation would apply every October.
- The Act would start on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The bill does not create a program, require education or other activities, or assign duties to parents, schools, businesses or government agencies.
What it means for you#
- Parents, children and the general public: October would have an official name focused on children’s online safety and privacy. The bill does not require anyone to change how they use the internet or provide education or other services.
- Schools, businesses and government: The bill does not require them to hold events, provide information or take other action.
Money#
No cost information is in the available material.
- The bill does not set aside funding, require staffing or create a fee, fine or benefit.
What is unclear#
- The bill does not say whether the government or any other organization will hold events or provide information during the month.
- It does not set goals for activities, name who would lead them or require reports on results.
- The preamble discusses education and supervision, but the bill’s operative provision only proclaims the month; it does not require those measures.
Case for#
- A possible argument for the bill is that an official month could draw attention to online risks and privacy concerns affecting children.
- The proclamation could give schools, families or community groups a shared occasion to discuss safety, though the bill does not require them to do so.
- The bill creates the designation without imposing new legal duties on individuals or organizations.
Case against#
- One concern is that naming a month does not itself provide education, tools or services, even though the preamble identifies education as important.
- The bill does not assign responsibility or funding for activities, so it is unclear whether the proclamation would lead to practical action.
- The bill does not require any way to assess whether awareness or children’s online safety improves.