Nova Scotia to Restrict Cell Phones in Schools

A person looks at social media applications Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Whatsapp, Twitter, Messenger, and LinkedIn on a smartphone in a file photo. (Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images)

Students in Nova Scotia will have to leave their phones tucked away when classes start again in the fall after the province announced a new policy to limit the use of the devices.

All students will be required to turn off their devices and put them “out of sight” during instructional time, according to a June 6 government news release.

The government said there will be exceptions to the rules, such as when teachers allow phones for instructional purposes.

Minister of Education Becky Druhan said the policy was informed by what the government was hearing from students, school staff, families, and communities.

“We heard their concerns and, through this new directive, are ensuring students are concentrating on learning and building stronger interpersonal relationships without the distraction of cell phones,” Ms. Druhan said.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development consulted with school advisory councils, ministerial advisory councils, the Public School Administrators of Nova Scotia, and the province’s teachers union about the use of cell phones in schools. They also talked with principals, teachers, and public health experts.

Around 800 school advisory council members participated in a virtual town hall, according to the release.

“Responses overwhelmingly supported clear, consistent restrictions on cell phone use,” the release said.

The government said that up to this point, individual schools developed cell phone use policies for students.

Other Provincial Cell Phone Policies

Other provinces have also restricted the use of cell phones during school hours, including Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Ontario’s Education Minister, Stephen Lecce, announced the changes in April, saying they will be limiting the use of devices during teaching time.

“We need to be bold. We need to be comprehensive. And we need to act with urgency today, as we restore focus and safety and common sense back into our school system,” Mr. Lecce said at the time.

Under the new policy, students from kindergarten to Grade 6 will need to have their phones set to silent and out of sight for the whole school day, unless they have been given permission to use it.

Students in Grades 7 to 12 will not be allowed to use cell phones during class time. If they are caught violating the rules, the device will need to be surrendered. Students who refuse will be sent to the principal’s office, and possibly suspended.

The province had a ban on the devices that was introduced in 2019, but teachers unions said that it was not being enforced.

Quebec banned the use of cell phones in classrooms in December 2023, which came into effect in January. The province’s education department said that all schools must restrict the use of devices in the classroom but left it up to school boards to come up with penalties for students who don’t comply.

B.C.’s government announced in January that phones will be restricted in schools starting in September.

“By learning in a safe school environment how to use their cellphones responsibly and respectfully, including when to put them away, students will be better able to develop healthy habits around technology and social media use in their everyday lives,” Education Minister Rachna Singh said.

A recent survey found that over 90 percent of Canadians supported restricting cell phone use in classrooms. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said students should not be allowed to use the devices, with 36 percent saying they shouldn’t be allowed unless the students have teacher approval.

The Canadian Press, Isaac Teo, and Jennifer Cowan contributed to this article.