The news that Canadian kids are facing some of the developed world’s worst bullying and friendship challenges hit my desk yesterday, and honestly, it stopped me cold. As someone who’s covered social policy for nearly a decade, the latest UNICEF report card on youth wellbeing offered a sobering look at what many parents, teachers, and kids themselves have been saying for years.
Our young people are struggling to connect.
“The pandemic may have ended officially, but its aftereffects continue to shape an entire generation’s social development,” explained Dr. Sarah Merton, child development specialist at the University of Toronto, when I called her about the findings. “These aren’t just statistics – they’re warning signs.”
According to UNICEF’s comprehensive analysis of youth wellbeing across 39 wealthy countries, Canada ranked near the bottom – 33rd place – when it comes to children’s ability to make friends easily. Perhaps more alarming, more than 28 percent of Canadian youth reported being bullied at least once in recent months, putting us in the bottom third of countries studied.
Walking through Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park yesterday afternoon, I spoke with Jasmine Taylor, mother of two pre-teens. “My daughter switched schools last year because of relentless social media harassment that the school couldn’t seem to control,” she told me. “Even after changing schools, she’s hesitant to use her phone or join any online groups her classmates create.”
The digital dimension of today’s youth struggles can’t be overlooked. The Mental Health Commission of Canada has documented a 43 percent increase in youth seeking help for online harassment since 2019, with their latest public health advisory specifically mentioning the complex relationship between screen time and social isolation.
Federal Minister for Families Lisa Crawford called the findings “deeply concerning” during yesterday’s press conference, announcing a new $24 million investment into community-based youth mental health initiatives. “When nearly a third of our children feel unsafe or unwelcome among their peers, we have a collective responsibility to address the root causes,” Crawford stated.
But not everyone is convinced more funding alone will solve the problem.
“We’ve been throwing money at youth mental health for years without addressing the fundamental shifts in how young people interact,” said Marcus Reynolds, executive director of Connected Youth Canada. His organization has been tracking friendship formation patterns since before COVID lockdowns changed everything.
“Before the pandemic, kids had natural, unstructured time together – on playgrounds, walking to school, hanging out at community centers. Now we’re seeing more scheduled, adult-supervised interactions and much less of the spontaneous connection-building that helps develop social resilience.”
The regional differences across Canada tell an important part of the story. Quebec scored marginally better on youth friendship measures, which some experts attribute to stronger community infrastructure and family-friendly policies that encourage outdoor play and group activities.
In my conversation with Reynolds, he pointed to Quebec’s network of neighbourhood houses and community centers that remained priorities even during budget cutbacks. “It’s not rocket science – kids need spaces to be together without constant digital mediation or adult oversight,” he explained.
Beyond the headline numbers, the report revealed something that hit close to home for many parents I interviewed: 42 percent of Canadian youth reported feeling lonely several times a week – significantly higher than the 35 percent average across wealthy nations.
Psychologist Dr. Amrita Gill, who works with schools across British Columbia, told me there’s a counter-intuitive aspect to these findings. “Today’s youth are simultaneously more connected than ever through technology, yet experiencing profound disconnection in meaningful relationships. They’re together online but alone in real life.”
Last month, while covering a school board meeting in
