August 2026
Protecting children and the planet in the age of AI
Protecting children and the planet in the age of AI
Many parents and caregivers are concerned about the increasing presence of AI in our children's lives. This is still a new, largely unregulated technology, and emerging evidence of harms to children's mental health, development, and wellbeing is deeply troubling.
Meanwhile, Canadian officials at every level of government are all too eager to roll out the red carpet for the construction of data centres in many of our backyards, despite the egregious environmental impacts that such development entails. Most data centres are powered by fossil fuels and require tremendous amounts of freshwater to operate. We're in a climate crisis -- we need to invest in a just transition, not in endless extraction and pollution!
Thankfully, people around the world are pushing back. In Canada, many parents, grandparents, and caregivers are rising up to say that our children, communities, and ecosystems matter more than the bloated Big Tech profit margins. And within the For Our Kids network, some of our local teams -- including those in Vancouver, Alberta, and Toronto -- are actively organizing around AI and data centres.
If you're a parent or caregiver who is concerned about AI and data centres, here are a few actions you can take right now.
First, get informed
There's a lot of noise about AI and data centres -- not to mention misinformation being pumped out by pro-AI lobby groups -- so it's important to have a basic understanding of the issue.
Here are some resources and outlets that can help you make sense of things:
- Content published by environmental media outlets
- The Narwhal: Doug Ford is pushing back at data centre resistance — but vows projects will pay their own way (Ontario-focused, but contains a good general explainer of the issue)
- National Observer: Data vs Democracy (article series)
- The Energy Mix: Data Centres and Tech (article series)
- Grist: AI could help fossil fuel companies create more emissions
- Governmental reports and initiatives
- Critical tech commentators
- Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI
- Paris Marx, author of Hyperscale and host of Tech Won't Save Us podcast
- Ketan Joshi
Next, get involved
Join the groundswell of collective activism by connecting with advocacy groups such as:
- For Our Kids - contact any of the local teams below to ask about their AI activism
- Vancouver (check out the AI recommendations they created as part of the People's Consultation on AI)
- Alberta
- Toronto
- ...or start your own local For Our Kids team!
- Council of Canadians
- 350 Hamilton's AI & Data Centre Campaign (involved in push for Hamilton data centre moratorium)
- Common Horizon (involved in push for Toronto data centre moratorium)
This is an incomplete list and we'll continue to update it. If you have groups or resources you'd like to see listed, let us know!
And, as always, if you have any questions about getting involved in community organizing, we're here for you. Send us an email at hello [at] forourkids.ca and we'll talk :)
