The School Phone Ban

Following Quebec’s initiative in January 2024, the 2024-2025 school year began with a phone ban during classes for other Canadian provinces. The provinces that have enforced this law into effect is B.C., Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Although the rules regarding cellphone use during school varies between provinces, as well as also depending on how old the student is, every province has the same goal on dedicating time on focused learning during class instead of becoming distracted with cellphone use. In fact, Jennifer Flanagan, a CEO of Actua, a charitable organization building skills for youth in STEM stated to Global News that “the dedicated time “the dedicated time for student learning while in class is really important (and) the evidence is overwhelming that distraction is already significant.”

Why Make It A Provincial Law?

You may be wondering: Why go so far as to make it a provincial law instead of just asking students to avoid using phones during class? Over the years, this method has been used where the teachers and administrators would ask to avoid unnecessary phone use. With phones and similar technology becoming more accessible, more youth possess a phone. Along with this, more youth have social media, having it as a more common thing to access amongst older youth. In turn, asking students to avoid unnecessary using phones during class has become more challenging to achieve, although it still depends on the students. Addiction to social media or a lack of interest on the current lessons has also contributed to this challenge for teachers and administrators.

Truth be told, there are still some benefits to phone use during class. Personally, before the phone ban, my high school teachers usually gives permissions to use our phones during assignments or projects. Our classes were encouraged to use it as a tool for research or listening to music while working. Although these benefits can help assist students, it was always under the expectation that they use their phones and time wisely.

In the case of all 6 of these provinces, a survey was handed to parents, teachers, students, and any others involved in the education world. Common conclusions from these surveys were that phones can sever mental health, make students more prone to cyberbullying, and that phone use is overall distracting during class time. Of course, an inference from these conclusions is that phones can affect a student’s academic prowess. Following that, the provincial governments decided it best to legislate a law restricting the usage of phones during school.

How Is The School Phone Ban Enforced Across The Provinces?

• Quebec – Regardless whether the student is in a public elementary or high school, they can use their phones between classes.
• B.C. – Depending on where in the province, elementary students cannot use their phones during school at all or only without permission. Secondary students can only use them during breaks outside of class.
• Alberta – Regardless if the student is in a catholic or public school, elementary students cannot use phones at all during school. Students in catholic school, in grades 7-9, can use their phones during breaks, but public school students cannot. For both districts, high school students can use their phones during breaks.
• Ontario – Elementary students cannot use their phones at all. Anyone in grades 7 or above can use them during breaks.
• Nova Scotia – Elementary students cannot use their phones during school at all. Depending on their school, anyone in grades 7 or above can use phones outside of class time.
• New Brunswick – Cell phones are to be put on silent during class time.
• All of these provinces ban phone use during class. They are to be out of sight, as well as on silent. Depending on the province, school, and student’s needs, exceptions can be made.

Possible Benefits To The Phone Ban

These provincial school phone bans are still new to Canada entirely so the benefits out of it are currently arising. However, the possible benefits that the phone ban could bring Canada can be compared to how it effective it was for other countries around the world. In fact, in 2020, the U.S. National Center of Education Statistics reported that 77% of U.S. schools had prohibited phones for nonacademic purposes during school. On a similar note, French lawmakers made cellphone use (during school) illegal for students under the age of 15. Lastly, in 2022, China enforced a country-wide ban on the usage of phones during school. With those statistics in mind and remembering that phones are becoming more and more common, the general benefits brought by those actions have a possibility of arising to the Canadian school phone ban.

1. Improves Mental Health

As mentioned earlier, students having a phone is becoming more and more common. With a phone ban in schools, it is important to consider that students may become more anxious without them. This is a natural reaction as dealing with change, especially if it’s a big one, is a challenge for everyone. With that said, a student’s mental health following the ban will always depend on the student, as well as how much time has passed.

However, to look at the bigger picture, there will be benefits to their mental health in the long run. For instance, students may be able to have more focus on their academics, a lower possibility on addiction to social media, and more confidence in themselves. Remember that every benefit depends on the students, but in the long run, these all contribute to improving mental health. A better focus on academic and less social media addiction may lead to stronger coginitive and comprehension abilities. Although the benefit of more confidence is subjective, it is a possible benefit because at some point in our lives, we used to depend on our phones for certain things. By trusting yourself while being unable to use your phones, you are obtaining more confidence in yourself after finding that you can do a lot of tasks without the help of your phone.

2. More Engagement

With the phone ban, students may be more inclined to participate during class. Since students cannot secretly go on their phone during class, they are more inclined to focus on the class. Their engagement with their classes increases because of that. Also, it encourages students to connect with one another and work together through the class. Whether one doesn’t know a concept, finds something in common with someone else, or everyone is dumbfounded and scared of an assessment, he students have a better chance of working together. Of course, they can use their phones to talk to each other outside of class, but physically being there during class can enhance their friendships in ways phones cannot. The phone ban may take away your phone, but it can bring you opportunities for new friendships and engagements with the classroom.

• Note: As a student in their senior year, about to finish high school, high school really goes by quick. Because of that, I’d like to show a little bias and say that school, regardless if it’s elementary, junior, high, or post-secondary level, is not only a place to learn, but to experience what it’s like to be with your peers. Getting to know and work with your peers helps us grow in many ways. Beyond learning, they help us grow in teamwork, character, social skills, and in many other ways. Although social media is an excellent way to talk to them, physically being with them goes a longer way.

3. Enhances Academic Performance

The first two benefits alluded to this final benefit of enhancing academic performance. Due to improved mental health and promoted engagement with the classroom, academic performances become better. With everything said, it may not be a surprise to state that with areas around the world where a school phone ban is enforced, academic performances rose quickly. This benefit, as well as the other two, still depends on the student, but these reports, though they are from other countries, are from general populations. If these general populations have achieved this benefit, then there is hope for the new phone ban here too.

TL;DR

Following Quebec, 5 other Canadian provinces have recently enforced a law banning phones in the classroom. While each provinces takes a slightly difference approach to this, all of them ban phones during class, forcing them out of sight. Although this is a first in Canada, countries around the world have done this a long time ago. From there, referring to studies from these countries, the possible benefits for this are improved mental health, more engagement in the classroom, and enhanced academic performances. Although the influence of these phone laws depends on the student, there is hope that they, and future generations, may reach these benefits.

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