Manitoba could begin its proposed ban on youth access to social media and artificial intelligence chatbots inside schools, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said Monday, as the province works through how to turn Premier Wab Kinew’s weekend pledge into policy.
The plan, billed by Kinew as a first in Canada, is still in its early stages. The province has not said what age group would be covered, when a ban would take effect, how it would be enforced or how Manitoba would assert authority over global technology platforms.
Schmidt said Manitobans should expect schools to be part of the first phase, comparing the approach to the province’s 2024 move to restrict cellphone use in classrooms. “This is very early days. A step like this is going to certainly take legislative and regulatory processes,” she said at an unrelated event Monday. “But I know that something we’re talking about right away is how we can roll this out in schools as soon as possible.”
She said the province is consulting school divisions, parents and community members on what a school-based rollout could look like. No detailed proposal or implementation date has been released.
A broader ban with few details so far
Kinew announced the plan Saturday at an NDP fundraising gala in Winnipeg, saying his government wants to shield children from platforms he argued are designed to keep users scrolling and to maximize engagement. He said social media can expose young people to content they are not ready for and contribute to problems including anxiety and depression.
Research has linked youth social media use with issues including reduced sleep, attention problems and longer-term mental health concerns, though academics have cautioned that more study is needed to establish direct causes.
The Manitoba proposal would go further than some existing age-restriction models by including AI chatbots. Tech analyst Carmi Levy told CBC that Australia’s law, which took effect in December, has led to millions of youth accounts being deactivated, but some young users have shifted to platforms not covered by that ban, including AI services. He said Manitoba appears to be “casting a much wider net” by including artificial intelligence.
Schools welcome the discussion, with cautions
The Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg said it welcomed the province’s announcement but urged care around how AI is treated in classrooms. Superintendent Christian Michalik said there is a difference between a young person using AI alone on social media late at night and a student using a tutoring tool under teacher supervision.
The division has been developing internal AI tools, including one for teachers to support planning and assessment and a pilot tutoring assistant for students that is not meant to complete work for them.
Michalik said schools have seen unhealthy social media interactions spill into classrooms, including bullying and violence, and said the existing cellphone restrictions have been followed by positive changes in student well-being. In Manitoba, kindergarten to Grade 8 students are not allowed to use cellphones at school, while students in grades 9 to 12 may use them during breaks and lunch.
If the province extends its classroom rules from phones to social media, Michalik said legislation and education will have to work together.
Young people want a voice in the rules
The proposal has also drawn support and caution from people focused on child welfare. A representative from the Manitoba advocate for children and youth’s Youth Ambassador Advisory Squad said children should have been consulted before the announcement.
Quinn Bloomfield, 18, said young people recognize the addictive and harmful sides of social media but are often pushed online because there are not enough physical places to gather. He urged the province to let children help shape the legislation and to invest in alternatives such as drop-in spaces where young people can socialize without relying on devices.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a national charity focused on reducing child sexual exploitation, supports Manitoba’s move. Lloyd Richardson, the centre’s director of technology, said a provincial effort could begin on its own but would be stronger with federal legislation.
Ottawa is also studying the issue. Federal Culture Minister Marc Miller has said the government is seriously considering age restrictions and would look to an expert panel examining online harms for advice on whether legislation should also cover AI chatbots. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the idea merits consideration, while Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has said a Canada-wide approach would be more effective.
For now, Manitoba’s proposal remains a political commitment rather than a finished law. The next test will be whether the province can define who is covered, what platforms must do, and how schools can enforce new limits without cutting off useful educational tools.
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