Hold the Phone: What Parents and Students Should Know About Cell Phone Bans This School Year

A number of jurisdictions have banned cell phone use in classrooms. Fred Dufour/AFP/GettyImages

Several provinces across Canada will implement cell phone bans this September, but not all policies will be the same.

With each province in charge of its own education system, policies can differ across the country. Here is what governments in each jurisdiction have said about the upcoming school year and student cell phones.

Alberta

Alberta’s regulations say no personal mobile devices will be permitted during instruction time. Students are required to put their devices on silent mode and store them out of sight.

Exceptions will be made for health or medical reasons or if a student with a specific learning challenge needs support.

Devices can also be used for learning purposes if the principal approves, the government said.

Alberta also said it will restrict the use of social media at schools by not allowing students to access platforms on school devices or through the school network.

School boards in Alberta will be responsible for defining policies for schools in their jurisdiction, and all boards are required to have a policy developed by Jan. 1, 2025. Policies must outline the consequences for non-compliance, which must include notifying students’ parents.

British Columbia

As in Alberta, B.C. has left the defining of cell phone restrictions up to school districts. The government said policies restricting students’ cellphone use in the classroom are expected to be in place before the beginning of the school year.

Polices must restrict the use of personal digital devices at school, including during instruction hours, and must outline when devices can be used for instructional purposes, medical and health needs, or to support learning outcomes..

Manitoba

In Manitoba, students in kindergarten to Grade 8 will not be permitted to use cell phones at any time while at school. High school students are free to use devices during breaks and lunch, but not during class time, the Government of Manitoba said in its Aug. 15 announcement.

As in other provinces, exceptions will be made for medical or accessibility reasons. High school students may also be able to use devices for learning purposes when directed by teachers.

School divisions are expected to have policies in place by the time students head back to class in September.

New Brunswick

In New Brunswick, an existing policy on cellphone use in schools was updated in May.

Students can use devices in the classroom for educational reasons if a teacher approves, the government said. However, at other times, teachers are to have students put their phones on silent mode and away in a designated area of the classroom.

Students who need their devices for medical reasons will still be allowed to have them.

The cellphone restrictions will be in effect as of Sept. 7, according to the government.

Students or parents must sign a form committing to respect the regulations and policies around the use of devices at school.

Device restrictions apply to students’ phones even if they are using a personal data plan rather than the school Wi-Fi, the government said.

The government said schools must develop policies on the use of devices, which can include the taking of students’ devices if rules are not being followed.

However, the government noted that seizing a device does not allow school staff to search the device.

Newfoundland and Labrador

The provincial government in Newfoundland and Labrador has told media that it’s not banning cellphones in classrooms, and that it’s up to individual teachers and schools to decide the rules in the classroom.

Nova Scotia

Students in Nova Scotia will need to turn off their devices and put them out of sight during instruction time at school, the government announced in June.

Junior high and high school teachers can make exceptions for students to use phones in the classroom if it is for instructional purposes, according to the regulations. However, students in elementary schools must have their phones stored for the entire day.

Schools with older students can allow devices to be used during breaks and lunch, the government said.

Exceptions can be made for students who require devices for medical or learning needs.

Parents are advised to contact the school office if they want to get in touch with their child, including in an emergency, and the school is expected to pass along messages in a “timely and private manner.”

Policies around cellphone usage will be left to individual schools. Teachers are permitted to ask students to leave devices in a secure location. If a student does not want to follow the rules, a principal or vice principal can take the phone and contact the parents or guardians.

Ontario

Ontario has had cellphone restrictions since 2019 but recently announced it would be tightening compliance.

Students can bring devices to school, but as September, students in kindergarten to Grade 6 will only be allowed to use them before and after school. Phones must be put on silent mode and kept out of sight for the entire school day.

For students in Grades 7 to 12, devices can be used during breaks and lunchtime but not during class time.

Exceptions will be given if a teacher permits devices as part of classroom learning or if a student needs the device for health or medical reasons or as a support for education purposes.

Students who do not comply with the policy will be asked to surrender their phones, for the duration of the class for Grades 7-12 and for the remainder of the day for younger grades. Students who refuse are to be sent to the principal’s office and could face suspension.

The government said that in addition to the restrictions, social media websites will be removed from school networks and devices. Report cards will also include comments on students’ distraction levels during class time.

School boards are required to develop specific policies around device restrictions. They are also to send reminders to parents and students each year about the policies.

Prince Edward Island

PEI’s government in July said that following national trends and feedback heard from the province’s educators, the use of cellular devices will be prohibited in the upcoming school year.

“Teachers will still maintain the flexibility to allow students in grades 7-12 to use devices in class for educational purposes,” reads the July 16 ministerial directive. “Exceptions will be in place when learners need access to their devices for special education or medical purposes.”

Quebec

Cell phone use in classrooms has been forbidden in Quebec since Dec. 31, 2023.

The province is the second in the country to implement such a measure after Ontario.

Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan government announced in August that phones won’t be allowed in classrooms for students in kindergarten to Grade 12, starting in September.

High school students can be given an exemption if the device is needed for instructional purposes. Exceptions will also be made for students who need the device for health reasons or to support learning needs.

School divisions are expected to outline policies for schools around the province.