Manitoba is looking to be the first province to implement a ban on social media and artificial intelligence for children, according to an announcement from Premier Wab Kinew on Saturday.
“As your premier, my most sacred responsibility is the protection and the safety of our children,” said Kinew.
There are still many questions unanswered, including how the ban itself would be implemented. That’s something one cybersecurity expert says could be a struggle for any province.
“Usually when it comes to regulating the internet, it’s done at a federal level,” explains cybersecurity and tech analyst Ritesh Kotak. “You can just imagine the complexities of every province having their own rules, being able to enforce that in respect to the platforms.”
Kotak believes there could be issues if the platforms don’t comply, and that there would then have to be some penalty for them. It’s something he believes would be far simpler at a federal level.
“I think it’s more important to have a national strategy when it comes to regulating this. It would be easier to regulate, the CRTC would be probably the body that would make sure that there would be compliance with regulation,” says Kotak.
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A number of recent studies have found social media has negative psychological impacts on youth, including harming mental health and emotional regulation.
Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist Doctor Jo Ann Unger welcomes the ban as a way to combat this. She feels a ban is ideal for those 14 and under, but recommends a gradual shift into online education by 15 or 16, so that youth can understand the dangers of social media use as they enter adulthood.
“Yes, it has psychological and mental health effects,” says Unger. “It does have that trickle-down, or that developmental effect. It continues on into adulthood and we know that 70 per cent of mental health difficulties start in childhood.”
One area where social media has become a significant distractor for youth is at school. The province has already banned cellphones in classrooms, but Education Minister Tracy Schmidt is hoping a social media ban in all schools will take that one step further.
“We still have some decisions to make. We have to consult with our school division partners, but I think a full ban in schools would be a great place to start.”
Progressive Conservative Families Critic MLA Jodie Byram provided this statement regarding her office’s stance on the proposed ban.
“Social media and AI are rapidly changing the fabric of our societies, our families and the mental health and well-being of our youth. The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba will always stand on the side of families, children and youth. To be truly effective, a social media ban should be a national initiative. I look forward to seeing the details of the NDP’s plan.”
Manitobans are now waiting for more information on potentially impacted ages and how the province plans to roll out the proposed ban.
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