Michael Geist writes of a federal committee that "considered two potential bans, one on targeted ads for kids and the other on underage access to social media. The committee recommended the ad ban and stopped short of the social media one, but the government reversed the approach, declining the ad ban while legislating the social media ban for under-16s." I would also favour an ad ban, but it's tricky. There isn't really a difference in principle between an ad directed at kids, and the manipulation of an algorithm to direct certain sorts of messages to kids. Advertising doesn't have to be (and often isn't) simply "buy this" or "you need that". A lot of it is aimed at self-image, perceptions, lifestyles and choices. The way an online gambling company, say, might want to normalize betting on sports.
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