If governments age gate tobacco, alcohol, gambling, and driving, why not social media? It sounds like a simple comparison, but the reality is far more complex. In this article, we examine the evidence behind social media harms, the proposed age gate in Bill C-34, Charter and privacy concerns, and whether age-gating is likely to achieve the safety outcomes being promised. Protecting children starts with asking the right questions.

What if your child’s next online purchase isn’t made by them, but by AI? “Agentic commerce” is shifting shopping from human decisions to automated systems that search, compare, and buy on our behalf. Convenient, yes, but it also raises real concerns around privacy, spending, influence, and control. Here’s what families need to understand before AI starts shopping for them.