Public Safety

Age verification isn't a silver bullet for protecting kids online. Congress' competing proposals each solve some problems while creating others, underscoring the need for a balanced national approach.

Alex Ambrose speaks about children's safety on chatbots on the panel, "Who's Talking to Our Kids? Safety in the Age of AI," at the 2026 National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit in Chicago.

Watch now for a fireside conversation with Lucy Thomas, co-founder and CEO of Project ROCKIT, Australia's youth-driven movement against bullying and online harm. Drawing on her work with young people, schools, and technology platforms, Thomas shared insights from Australia's experience and discussed what Canadian policymakers should consider as they evaluate Bill C-34.

The UK is considering new requirements for nudity-scanning software on children's devices that would further expand its controversial online safety regime. While intended to protect children, the proposal would undermine privacy, anonymity, and free speech, and the UK should instead pursue more targeted, privacy-preserving measures.

Bill C-34 gives platforms a reason to design safer services for children. But sequencing matters: If Ottawa brings the restriction into force before the Digital Safety Commission is operational, the fastest path to compliance will be removing the very users the bill means to protect.

Watch now for an expert panel discussion on the current state of federal privacy negotiations and the path forward for Congress.

The GUARD Act would effectively ban minors from AI companions through broad age-verification requirements, raising concerns about free speech, privacy, parental authority, and the growing patchwork of state regulations. Instead, policymakers should focus on transparency, stronger parental controls, and other targeted safeguards that protect children without cutting them off from beneficial AI tools.

Alex Ambrose speaks about wearable AI in emergency response on the panel "Governance, Oversight, and Accountability in Technology Enabled Emergency Management," hosted by the NALEO Institute on Technology and AI in Emergency Management.

Watch now for a discussion on recently introduced chatbot safety bills up for debate in Congress, including the GUARD Act and CHATBOT Act, and what policymakers, parents, and platforms could do to protect children without bans.

The UK should resist the urge to regulate in haste. Protecting children online is essential, but protection should mean smarter design, stronger safety tools, and greater parental control, not blanket bans that remove technology from young people and choice from families.