Did you hear what the Premier wants to do?

Morning from The Rock — here's what's happening in Flin Flon. Premier Kinew is talking about banning social media and AI chatbots for youth. Now, I get it, parents up here, from Ross Lake to the Saskatchewan side, worry about what their kids are seeing online. We've got our own challenges with keeping our youth connected to the community when the world outside is so loud. But a full-on ban? That feels like trying to stop the Phantom Lake freeze-up with a hair dryer.

### What This Means for Flin Flon

This isn't just a Winnipeg problem, eh? Up here, our kids at Hapnot Collegiate are just as tied into their phones as anyone else. Heck, for some of them, especially those whose families work shifts at Hudbay, that online connection is a lifeline to friends in other parts of the North or even down south.

* A ban could make it even harder for kids to connect with friends outside of our small community.

* It ignores the reality that social media is a big part of how the Flin Flon Arts Council advertises events, or how the Bombers share game updates.

* For a town that's already seen its population shrink, isolating our youth further from the digital world could just push them to look for opportunities elsewhere.

We're a resilient town, built on solid Canadian Shield rock and held together by community, but we also need to be realistic about how our young people live. Banning something doesn't make it disappear; it just makes it harder to manage. We need solutions that work for Flin Flon, not just a blanket rule from Winnipeg that ignores the unique realities up here.

Cole Chicken, MiTL Sports Desk, Flin Flon.

You know Keith and the crew are gonna have some thoughts on this – catch 'em live at mornings.live.