B.C. considers access to social media for youth

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Manitoba is set to become the first province in Canada to prohibit the use of social media and AI for youth, should B.C. follow suit?

In an April 26th, 2026 Instagram post, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said the province will become the first province in Canada to prohibit the use of social media and artificial intelligence chatbots for youth.

“We’re moving forward with a first-in-Canada plan to ban social media and AI chatbots for youth because these platforms are built to capture attention, not protect it,” the post read.

It continued by saying that childhood should be about learning, growing, and being present, rather than “endless” scrolling designed for profit. 

Manitoba is not the only province discussing social media access for youth. 

On Tuesday, April 28th, 2026, Niki Sharma, Attorney General of British Columbia, and Rick Glumac, Minister of State for AI and New Technologies, released a joint statement on the province’s continued advocacy to the federal government on online harms legislation and AI regulation. 

Niki Sharma, Attorney General of British Columbia, said the province has seen the devastating impacts that unregulated use of social media and AI chatbots can inflict on individuals, families and society. Sharma recently travelled to Ottawa to discuss social media for youth. 

“Last month, I travelled to Ottawa to meet ministers Evan Solomon and Marc Miller to discuss this issue,” Sharma said. “Last week, I followed up with a letter outlining the exact legislative action B.C. believes must be taken at once. In particular, I am calling for federal online harms legislation to be introduced that sets minimum safety standards for youth.” 

Jordan Kealy, MLA  for Peace River North, said he is curious to see what happens in Manitoba between the federal and provincial governments.

Kealy also said if a bill is presented at the B.C. legislature, it is something he would look at very closely. 

“It definitely is an issue that we see that affects our youth in different ways,” Kealy said. “[Of] How the interaction between OpenAI and also with some platforms [is] being used in wrong ways to manipulate the youth.” 

A March 2026 Angus Reid report surveyed 1,812 Canadians with children aged 10 to 17, whose oldest child still lived at home, on whether they support a full ban on social media use for kids under 16. 

According to the report, 75 per cent of respondents support or strongly support a ban, while 18 per cent oppose or strongly oppose it. 

Seventy-three per cent of parents with children aged 10 to 12 support a social ban, compared to 22 per cent who oppose a ban. 

Parents of children aged 13 to 15 strongly support a ban, with 68 per cent in favour. 

The strongest opposition to the idea of a ban comes from parents with children aged 16 to 17. Thirty-one per cent of parents in that age group oppose a ban. Sixty-three per cent of parents with children aged 16 to 17 still support a ban. 

Stephen Petrucci, superintendent of School District 60, said he would support restrictions on social media for youth.

“I would be in favour of some restrictions on social media use for youth, whether that’s under 15 [or] under 16,” Petrucci said. “We’ve seen that in other jurisdictions, like Australia, and you know that the federal government is considering the same thing here.”  

Petrucci also said there’s an “educational responsibility” to teach students about media literacy and ways to be aware of the “complications and pitfalls” of social media. 

According to Petrucci, a survey he conducted in 2021 among middle school students in Fort St. John asked whether they saw a positive or negative impact on their lives from social media. 

Petrucci said the survey results showed that the youth themselves say social media use has a more negative impact on their lives than a positive one. 

While students did identify positives from social media, including connecting with friends and family, discovering practical information, entertainment, and getting support when they need it, Pettruci said they also identified “pitfalls” of constant social media use.

According to Petrucci, some of the “pitfalls” discovered in the survey include cyberbullying, harmful relations, being exploited by other adults or companies and mental health issues.

Petrucci also said research has shown one particular issue is harmful to younger girls.

“The whole concept of body image was something research has shown can be problematic for our young girls as well.”

Petrucci said the province’s cellphone restrictions mitigated concerns about phone use during the day, as well as issues such as cyberbullying. 

In January 2026, a Fort St. John resident started a petition calling for laws to help protect children while using social media. 

Diana Bent started the “Taking our Kids Back” movement to raise awareness of the mental health impacts of social media on youth. 

Bent told Energeticcity.ca the motivation behind the movement was to get a federal law passed in order to protect kids online.

While there is no current legislation on a social media ban, Kealy said there are ways to improve online safety for children, but it needs to be done carefully. 

“I think there’s some avenues that can be improved,” he said. “[But then] there’s also the side where you can really infringe upon people’s rights too. It’s a delicate process and I think that’s where the balance into [it] if you do start to moderate exactly what people can access online, then you have to put a lot of thought into it.”