Attention 2024:
The Kids Are All Right
Led by whistleblowers, activists, celebrities, politicians, and kids themselves, a global fight for online rights is emerging: a fight to protect a generation raised on and by the internet, to reshape the future of online platforms, and to make the web safer for everyone. To address these challenges head-on, the Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy and Paradigms presented an exclusive experience bringing leading visionaries, artists, and advocates together.
This prestigious one and a half day gathering fostered a collaborative environment for the dynamic exchange of ideas about kids, tech, and social media. It allowed for meaningful dialogue, inspired innovative approaches to address these thorny issues, and catalyzed actionable strategies to ensure the well-being and empowerment of our youngest digital citizens. Attention: The Kids Are All Right featured a curated program of immersive experiences, workshops, and networking opportunities that will serve as a catalyst for action. Through this collaboration and collective action, we envision a future where children can harness the power of social media safely and responsibly, unlocking their full potential in the digital age.
Event Speakers
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André Picard
Health Columnist, Globe & Mail
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Ava Smithing
Director of Advocacy & Operations, Young People’s Alliance, and Youth Fellow, Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy
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Carol Todd
Founder, Amanda Todd Legacy Society
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Damian Collins
OBE, Chair, UK Parliament Joint Committee on the Draft Online Safety Bill
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Duncan Embury
Head of Litigation, Neinstein LLP
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Emily Laidlaw
Professor, University of Calgary Faculty of Law
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Elamin Abdelmahmoud
Host of CBC’s Commotion Show
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Frances Haugen
Facebook Whistleblower and Founder, Beyond The Screen
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Gabby Miller
Staff Writer, Tech Policy Press
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Jenna Omassi
International Policy Manager, Ofcom
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Laura Marquez-Garrett
Attorney, Social Media Victims Law Center
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Maddie Freeman
Founder, NoSo November
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Margrethe Vestager
European Commissioner for Competition
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Owen Ripley
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Canadian Heritage
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Poppy Wood
Managing Director, Reset.Tech
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Taylor Owen
Director, Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy and Executive Director, Paradigms
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The Honourable Arif Virani
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
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Val Steeves
Full Professor, University of Ottawa, and Co-Lead, eQuality Project
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Věra Jourová
Vice President, European Commission for Values and Transparency
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Zamaan Qureshi
Co-Chair, Design It For Us
Shireen Muhiudeen poses for a photo with Taylor Owen, Director of the Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy
Martin Patriquin, Quebec correspondent for The Logic, deep in thought
Zamaan Qureshi, youth advocate and Co-Chair of the Design It For Us coalition
Founder and CEO of NoSo November Maddie Freeman
EU Commissioner Věra Jourová and Baroness Beeban Kidron share a laugh together
Zachary Severyn and Maddie Case, two Youth Fellows at the Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy, network with other youth advocates
Jenna Omassi of Ofcom flashes a smile by the window
Founder and Director of the Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy Taylor Owen delivers opening remarks
Carol Todd, founder of the Amanda Todd Legacy Society, shares her daughter’s story and her fight to make social media safer for young people
Maddie Freeman speaks on a panel with Val Steeves, André Picard, and Gabby Miller (left to right)
The Globe & Mail's health columnist André Picard shares his thoughts on a panel
Alex Munter from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario asks a question
Emily Laidlaw, Marie-Ève Nadeau, and Sonja Solomun applaud the close of a panel
Tech Policy Press' Gabby Miller moderates a panel
Decca Aitkenhead of the Sunday Times in journalism mode
Baroness Beeban Kidron and Maddie Freeman sharing stories together
Frances Haugen, Laura Marquez-Garrett, and Zamaan Qureshi talk ligitation on the Suing Social Media panel
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen details the company's manipulative design
Duncan Embury, Partner at Neinstein LLP, moderates a panel
Emcee Elamin Abdelmahmoud addressing the lunch crowd
Baroness Beeban Kidron delivers an impactful luncheon address
Ofcom's Jenna Omassi on the Global Approaches to Online Safety panel
Ava Smithing of the Young People's Alliance shares her perspective as a young person on online
Jenna Omassi, Owen Ripley, Ava Smithing, and Poppy Wood (left to right)
EU Commissioner for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, delivers a keynote speech
Emily Laidlaw, of the University of Calgary
Ryan Voisin chats with Karim Bardeesy, Raissa Amany, and Roman Wolfi
A children’s choir performs for guests during the evening programming
Ava Smithing leads a moving youth panel at Illuminarium
Maddie Case, a Youth Fellow at the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, enjoys a morning coffee before programming begins
Elamin Abdelmahmoud introduces the first panel of the day
Two parallel discussions going on in between panels (Maddie Freeman, Poppy Wood, Beeban Kidron, Decca Aitkenhead, left to right)
Attendees listen intently to an ongoing panel at Archeo
The director makes the children's choir come alive in the Illuminarium
Attendees take in the voices of the children's choir as the visual projections fill the walls
Goosebumps as guests observe the moving immersive experience shedding light on the reality of a teen's social media experience
Minister of Justice Arif Virani amid the dramatic lighting of the Illuminarium
Maddie Freeman, Zamaan Qureshi, Sam Hiner, and Yoelle Gulko share their stories and experiences as youth advocates for a safer social media
Justice Minister Arif Virani details his vision for Canada's Online Harms Act
Attendees listen in to the speakers over breakfast at the Shangri-La
Taylor Owen sits down with EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager to talk global AI regulation
Taylor Owen greets Justice Minister Arif Virani onstage
Damian Collins, OBE, delivers a keynote speech
Taylor Owen engages with EU Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager
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