Why Banning Kids from Social Media Won't Work

Canada is debating whether to ban kids under 14 from social media. That we're even considering such a blunt instrument tells you something important about the last decade of digital governance — or lack of it.

I joined Matt Galloway on CBC/Radio-Canada's The Current to discuss why a ban on its own won't work, and what would.

The core problem is that tech companies have failed to build safe products, and governments have failed to hold them accountable. Parents and teachers are rightly frustrated, and so the impulse toward radical action is understandable.

But a ban treats exclusion as the end goal. It punishes users rather than the products causing harm. It restricts children's rights rather than enhancing their safety. And when a kid turns 15, they enter an online ecosystem with no protections whatsoever.

Every jurisdiction that has studied this seriously — Australia, the UK, the EU — arrives at the same place: an enforcement body that can hold platforms accountable for design, content moderation, and age-appropriate safety. That's what Canada needs too.