Canada’s Manitoba Bans Private Teacher-Student Chats Amid Child Grooming Concerns
The Canadian province of Manitoba has banned private messaging between teachers and students through personal social media accounts, text messages and unmonitored digital platforms to strengthen child safeguarding in schools.
The directive, announced on 3 November 2026 by Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt, applies to all publicly funded schools and school divisions across the province.
Under the new rules, school employees are prohibited from communicating privately with students through personal messaging applications, social media accounts or other platforms that schools cannot monitor.
The government introduced the directive following incidents in which two educators lost their teaching certificates for sending inappropriate messages to students.
Schmidt explained that the measure was intended to establish clear professional boundaries and prevent communication practices that could expose children to grooming and exploitation.
However, exceptions may be granted when direct communication is necessary for a student’s safety, accessibility, wellbeing or educational needs.
Such exceptions require prior approval from school administrators, with parents included or informed. Existing family relationships may also qualify for exemptions.
School divisions must review their communication policies and report their updates to the provincial government before the end of 2026.
Child protection organisations have welcomed the decision.
Lianna McDonald, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, described the directive as an important step towards strengthening children’s safety.
According to the organisation, 252 current or former school personnel across Canada committed, or were accused of committing, sexual offences involving at least 548 students between 2017 and 2021.
Another 38 school personnel faced criminal charges involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM) during the same period.
The directive reinforces the importance of transparent communication, parental involvement and professional boundaries in preventing grooming and protecting children from exploitation within educational environments.
