There is a well-meaning instinct in public policy that seems to suggest that the best way to keep children safe from new technology is to build a wall. As a father of three, I understand that instinct. I practice caution at my own kitchen table by screening their apps and only using AI chatbots alongside my kids.

But what works for a single household often makes for disastrous national policy. This is the fundamental flaw in the GUARD Act, Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-MO) proposal to restrict minors’ access to AI companions and mandate age verification for chatbots.