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POOR PREDICTIONS
Friday, MAY 1, 2026 Vo lum e 18 N um b e r27
FREE TAKE ONE SERVIN G ERICK SON , ON AN OLE, SAN D Y LAK E, ELPHIN STON E, W ASAGAM IN G, ROLLIN G RIVER, K EESEEK OOW EN IN & SURROUN D IN G AREA
VE N T O N BE AT T Y / F O R SO U T H M O U N T AIN PR E SS With snow still on the ground, this groundhog came out to survey the landscape on a recent late-April morning. The official “six more weeks of winter” Groundhog Day prediction for this year came true... and then some, with this groundhog and most citizens still waiting for spring to fully take hold.
P rovince p rop oses socia l m edia ba n for youth P rem ier W a b K in ew sa ys p olicy’s a im w ould be to help com ba trisin g ra tes of a n x iety a n d dep ression in children RAC HEAL FLIN TO FT So uth M o unta in Pre ss
The idea of restricting children’s access to social media and artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots is making recent waves, a proposed future Manitoba policy Premier Wab Kinew says is needed to protect youth mental health. The Premier announced the
plan this past weekend, stating that technology platforms are designed to hack the biological reward systems in the brain. Kinew linked social media apps to rising rates of anxiety and depression among young people, specifically pointing to the “infinite scroll” features and AI tools that amplify social comparisons. While the province hasn’t set
an official age limit or explained how it would police international tech companies, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt suggested Monday that schools might be the starting point. Schmidt told reporters that the first phase could roll out in classrooms, comparing the move to the cell phone restrictions already in place across Manitoba.
Val Caldwell, an independent consultant, and public speaker based in Harding, said the conversation is necessary but has questions about the logistics. Caldwell, who frequently lectures students and parents on digital safety in various schools across the region, including Birtle Collegiate and Minnedosa Collegiate, pointed out that current 13-plus age limits are
already easy to bypass. “I definitely do think age restrictions are an important part of the discussion, I’m just not sure how the ban itself rolls out,” Caldwell said. “Currently social media platforms are 13-plus and yet there are five-year-olds with accounts.”
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