Manitoba, a Canadian province located north of North Dakota, has announced plans to prohibit young people from accessing social media platforms and artificial intelligence chatbots. Premier Wab Kinew unveiled the policy during a speech on Saturday at an event organized by his left-leaning New Democratic Party.
"Increasingly, social media and now AI chatbots are being used to hack our children's attention spans," Kinew said. "They have been built this way to maximize engagement and to make money for a group of tech oligarchs who do not share our values as Canadians or as Manitobans."
The move positions Manitoba ahead of Canada's federal government, which is currently considering national restrictions on social media for minors. This initiative is part of a growing global trend of regulations aimed at curbing young people's access to technology platforms.
Australia has already enacted a ban on social media for children under 16 to address mental health issues, cyberbullying, and sexual extortion. French President Emmanuel Macron is also pushing for similar restrictions within the European Union.
Details on the specific age range affected or the implementation process have not yet been provided by Manitoba's government. A representative stated that further information will be released in due course.
Interestingly, despite his criticism of social media, Kinew frequently creates viral posts on Instagram, where he boasts 441,000 followers—more than any other Canadian premier, even though Manitoba is only the fifth most populous province.
British Columbia, Canada's west coast province, drafted legislation in 2024 targeting social media companies for harms caused by their algorithms, especially to children. However, the bill was later placed on hold, and an online safety panel was convened with tech companies instead.
In a related incident, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apologized to the British Columbia town of Tumbler Ridge after his company failed to alert law enforcement about the ChatGPT account of an alleged killer involved in one of Canada's worst mass shootings earlier this year.
Canada has had tensions with the United States over regulations affecting Silicon Valley technology companies. Last year, Canada withdrew plans to implement a digital sales tax after threats from President Donald Trump to walk away from trade talks.
This announcement adds to the ongoing debate about the impact of social media and AI on young people, with calls for stricter limits growing as the potential dangers become more apparent.
