While laws and tech safeguards matter, they can’t replace the role of parents and caregivers in keeping kids safe online. Legislation shapes digital environments, but real protection comes from guidance, trust, and digital literacy taught at home. Technology will always evolve faster than law, but the influence of engaged parenting remains the most powerful safeguard.

In Canada, passing strong child-protection laws for social media isn’t as straightforward as it seems. The CUSMA trade agreement prevents the government from forcing U.S. tech companies to reveal or modify their algorithms or hold them liable for user-generated content. This limits how far Canada can go compared to Europe. While lawmakers navigate trade barriers, parental engagement remains the most immediate protection for kids online.

Many parents are told to fear technology, but the real dangers facing youth aren’t created online, they’re amplified by what’s happening offline. Abuse, poverty, hunger, and mental illness make kids vulnerable long before they log on. Technology can expose risk, but it can also build resilience and connection. True online safety begins by making children safer in the real world first.