{"id":9495,"date":"2026-01-30T22:47:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T22:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/?p=9495"},"modified":"2026-01-30T22:59:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T22:59:31","slug":"nicole-goehring-of-edmonton-castle-downs-serves-petition-to-protect-kids-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/?p=9495","title":{"rendered":"Nicole Goehring of Edmonton-Castle Downs serves petition to protect kids online!"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Is it time to start protecting your kids online?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/span><\/h2>

November 26, 2025<\/span><\/p>

Petition for Mandatory Social Media Education in Alberta Garners Over 400 Signatures in Less Than 48 Hours<\/span><\/h3>

Edmonton, Alberta<\/span> \u2014 A grassroots petition calling for <\/span>mandatory social media education to be embedded in Alberta\u2019s elementary school curriculum<\/span> has gained rapid public support, with only 5 DEFEND team members collecting <\/span>more than 400 signatures<\/span> across Calgary and Edmonton in a 48-hour blitz. <\/span><\/p>

The petition was formally presented on <\/span>November 26, 2025<\/span>, in the Alberta Legislature by <\/span>Nicole Goehring<\/span>, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Edmonton\u2013Castle Downs, during proceedings for the presentation of petitions.<\/span><\/p>

The petition urges the Government of Alberta to introduce legislation requiring <\/span>age-appropriate social media literacy education for all elementary students<\/span>, with a focus on protecting <\/span>children and vulnerable people online<\/span>. Key concerns raised include online exploitation, misinformation, algorithmic manipulation, cyberbullying, and the long-term mental health impacts of unregulated digital environments. Kristy Fredrick heads the public efforts for DEFEND Nonprofit\u2019s boots on the ground in Alberta and she\u2019s glad there\u2019s now movement here:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cAlbertans should recognize social media education as a core life skill, not an optional extra,\u201d said Fredrick for DEFEND, the petition\u2019s organizers. \u201cChildren are navigating powerful digital systems every day. Education is one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to reduce harm and build resilience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Supporters of the initiative emphasize that social media education should go beyond basic internet safety, equipping students with practical tools to understand:<\/span><\/p>

  • How platforms are designed to capture attention<\/span><\/p>

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  • How misinformation and manipulation spread<\/span><\/p>

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  • How to identify grooming, coercion, and unsafe interactions<\/span><\/p>

    \u00a0<\/p><\/li>

  • How to build healthy, responsible online habits<\/span><\/p>

    \u00a0<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

    The petition reflects growing concern among parents, educators, and community advocates that existing curricula have not kept pace with the realities of modern digital life.<\/span><\/p>

    With the petition now officially tabled, organizers are calling on the provincial government to engage educators, child-protection experts, mental-health professionals, and digital safety advocates to develop a <\/span>comprehensive, mandatory curriculum<\/span> that supports students before harm occurs.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Is it time to start protecting your kids online? FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 26, 2025 Petition for Mandatory Social Media Education in Alberta Garners Over 400 [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":9497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_social_preview_title":"","wp_social_preview_description":"","wp_social_preview_image":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-online-safety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9495"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9513,"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9495\/revisions\/9513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpusdefend.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}