Canada is preparing to reintroduce Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act, in early 2026. As pressure grows to follow Australia’s age-gating model, this article explains why age limits alone miss the real issue. True online safety requires Safety-by-Design legislation that holds platforms accountable for how they are built, how data is used, and how risk is amplified, especially in the age of AI.

AI is no longer something youth, teens, or families simply choose to use. It is becoming the environment they move through. Built into devices, platforms, and defaults, AI now shapes how information is accessed and decisions are made. This article explores what that shift means for families, why opt-out is harder than it appears, and how parents can help youth learn to think with AI rather than quietly hand their thinking over to it.

Banning social media can feel like a responsible way to protect teens, but bans do not happen in a vacuum. Many of the offline spaces youth once relied on have disappeared or become unaffordable. When we remove one of the few accessible social outlets without rebuilding community sports, safe hangout spaces, and affordable activities, we do not redirect teens. We leave them with fewer places to belong, and often more isolation, not less.

A recent Irish headline warned that if 83 percent of children have internet access in their bedrooms at night, the entire online world has access to them too. The statistic deserves attention. The analogy does not. This article explains why unmanaged nighttime device access is a parenting issue with a simple, immediate solution that reduces risk, improves sleep, and builds real digital responsibility.

Australia’s new under-16 social media law is making headlines, and some want Canada to follow. But blocking teens from major platforms doesn’t address the real risks behind toxic algorithms, predation, and poor safety design. As youth migrate to unregulated apps, we need smarter solutions. Here’s what parents should know before calling age-gating a fix

Parents are often caught between “ban it all” and “let them use everything.” This long-form guide introduces 12 digital pillars to help you bring technology into your child’s life in ways that fit their development, protect mental health, support equity, and build skills in safety, privacy, and AI readiness, without sliding into fear-based extremes.

AI is reshaping the world our kids are growing up in, offering remarkable opportunities while raising serious questions about safety, ethics, and the pace of change. This article invites parents, caregivers, and educators to step back, look at both sides of AI, and consider how we can guide young people through a future shaped by tools that will influence how they learn, live, and thrive.

A high school invited us in with a bit of hesitation, unsure how students and parents would react to a frank conversation about sexting, sextortion, consent, and the law. Ninety minutes later the gym erupted in applause. Teens crowded around to thank us for treating them with honesty and respect, proving once again that real protection starts with real education.