Manitoba education minister says social media ban could start in schools
Posted April 27, 2026 1:40 pm.
Last Updated April 27, 2026 8:00 pm.
Manitoba’s education minister says the government may first turn to schools to ban children from using social media accounts and artificial intelligence chatbots.
Tracy Schmidt, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning, says Manitobans can expect to see the ban’s first phase roll out in schools, comparing it to when the province banned cellphones in classrooms.
“I think Manitobans understand that this is the right thing to do and stay tuned for my details,” said Minister Schmidt.
She didn’t provide additional details on what the rollout would look like or a timeline.
She says legislative changes need to be made and that implementing the ban in classrooms is an easy first step.
“Manitobans can probably expect to see the first phase of this happening in Manitoba schools; I think that makes a lot of sense. I think that this is the next step of our cellphone ban, another way in which Manitoba was a real leader,” said Minister Schmidt.
Reactions continue to pour in after Premier Wab Kinew announced the decision over the weekend, saying the province plans to protect kids from technology platforms that hurt their development.
“I am buzzing about the announcement on Saturday. I think everyone is buzzing. As I’ve said already, I’m a mom, I know Minister Cable is a mom, and we have many parents here. I might get emotional here. I think this announcement is so exciting, as the minister, as an MLA, but as a parent. I could not be more thrilled about the leadership that Premier Kenew is taking,” said Minister Schmidt.
Details on the age limit or how the province would have jurisdiction over international platforms have not been revealed.
Schmidt says the province is consulting with school divisions, the community, and parents on what the ban in schools could look like.
Dr. Kari Duerksen, assistant professor from the University of Manitoba, says she believes social media can have its positive and negatives. A sense of belonging and connecting with friends is nice, but it can be harmful when it comes to self-esteem, comparison, sleep, and many other factors.
“I think it’s really important to keep in mind that I think the social media bans are a lot for these cases that we see, which can be more extreme. So, things like cyberbullying, addiction, these kinds of like feedback loops with AI that we are starting to see that some really vulnerable kids and teens can really get into,” said Kari Duerksen, an assistant professor of clinical health psychology at the University of Manitoba
“Of course, you have your ways of connecting with your friends and your community. That you’ve developed and you value, and that’s so important, and that’s good that you’re doing that. It’s about if this no longer becomes an option for various reasons, how do we get creative, how do we keep that going?”
-With files from the Canadian Press
