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Manitoba’s education minister says the government may first turn to schools to ban children from using social media accounts and artificial intelligence chatbots.
Manitobans can expect to see the ban’s first phase roll out in schools, comparing it to when the province banned cellphones in classrooms, Tracy Schmidt said during an unrelated news conference in Winnipeg Monday morning.
She didn’t provide additional details on what the rollout would look like or a timeline, but said legislative changes need to be made, and implementing the ban in classrooms is an easy first step.
Premier Wab Kinew announced the decision over the weekend, saying the province plans to protect kids from technology platforms that hurt their development.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said social media platforms are “doing these very awful things to kids all in the name of a few likes,” and he’s vowing to fight back by banning youth from using these platforms, along with AI chatbots.
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.
