Policies banning or limiting cell phones in Canada’s schools are proving to be effective in helping students focus, but educators say the restrictions are becoming more difficult to enforce as time goes by.
Most provinces have imposed some form of a ban in the past two to three years and the measures vary depending on the grade level. New Brunswick implemented its policy this month.
Most provinces ban phone usage throughout the day for elementary schools, with eight jurisdictions allowing high school students to use their phones during breaks and at lunch. Quebec is the only province to ban use for all students all day, with New Brunswick set to do the same for high schoolers in their second semester of the upcoming school year.
“I think what we’re hearing from teachers in Manitoba, in one word, is gratitude,” Manitoba Education Minister Tracy Schmidt told Global News. “But more specifically, what we are hearing is about happier, healthier kids, right. We’re hearing about kids’ focus in the classroom being improved.”
Similar observations were shared by Richard Bergevin, president of the Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement, one of Quebec’s teachers’ unions.
Bergevin told The Canadian Press that teachers were observing students are more engaged in their learning and socializing more often.
Ministers say the reception has been relatively positive, with Nova Scotia’s education minister saying only about seven per cent of all students have been found using a cell phone during class since the ban went into effect.
“I think the first year we had some bumps, but kids, they know the expectation now,” said Nova Scotia Education Minister Brendan Maguire.
But educators in the various provinces say though focus has improved, issues around enforcement remain.
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“They (teachers) still had some concerns and considerations around it such as implementing it in a way that everybody understands just how it’s being implemented, making sure that the rules are clear, that the consequences are clear for students and for parents,” said Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
Schilling told Global News there’s a lack of consistency across school boards and schools, saying boards should discuss the rules in place and the consequences for breaking them. He said this could improve how the restrictions and bans are enforced.
Another issue is how long the policies have been in effect and if messaging surrounding them is kept up to date, Nova Scotia Teachers Union president Peter Day said.
“Our cell phone policy was introduced two years ago and it was met with great success . . . One teacher told me she saw her students’ eyes for the first time because they were actually looking up,” he said. “Unfortunately, since that time, the implementation of the cell phone policy has waned a little bit in the sense that many teachers are finding that students aren’t following the policy as much as they were when it was first introduced.”
Day said teachers are having to consistently remind students, especially students in high school, but he added it shouldn’t just be up to the teachers.
Jay Olson, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at the University of Toronto, told Global News governments should also be providing more consistent messaging.
“I think that if the parents are getting reminders from the government about this ban, then it’s easier for the parents to also help remind their students,” Olson said.
As the bans continue, educators and experts say work needs to be done by parents, teachers, administrators, government and other stakeholders in order to ensure its success.
“I can’t be on my phone at the dinner table if I want my child to respect that there are moments and (the) right sort of places and times to sort of be screen free,” said Kara Brisson-Boivin, director of research at MediaSmarts, a digital literacy group.
The most important factor, according to Day, is teachers can’t be the only ones to enforce the rules.
“Teachers don’t want to be the cell phone police.”
—with files from The Canadian Press
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