Quebec's new policy banning cell phones in classrooms will come into effect after the holidays. This makes the province the second province after Ontario to implement such a measure.
The policy, which aims to reduce distractions in the classroom, goes into effect on December 31st.
It applies to public sector primary and secondary schools, but gives teachers the option to allow students to use their phones for certain educational purposes.
Many schools in Quebec had already adopted rules restricting the use of cell phones in class before Education Minister Bernard Drainville introduced the ban in August.
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This directive from Education Minister Bernard Drainville comes into force on December 31st. (archive photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada / Sylvain Roy Roussel
However, some child rights advocates believe it is in their interest to make the restrictions as strict as possible.
A few days before the Legault government's announcement, Étienne Bergeron, a high school teacher in Warwick, Center-du-Québec, launched a petition calling on the government to ban cell phones anywhere on school grounds.
He would have liked to see all personal devices banned in schools, even in hallways, public spaces, libraries, everywhere.
In his opinion, if a teacher wants his students to use a cell phone for classroom purposes, this must be clearly defined.
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Étienne Bergeron is a high school teacher in Warwick, Center-du-Québec, who educates his students about the use of social networks. (archive photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada / Myriam Fimbry
Mr. Bergeron says he is not an opponent of the technology. He runs his school's creative lab and teaches students programming, music and video game design.
However, the teacher points out that his lessons use digital tools for intellectual development and not for online surfing without a specific goal.
The reality is that when young people use their phones, they are on TikTok, playing games… I am convinced that it is not the job of schools in Quebec to leave our young people in front of these devices that literally make antisocial.
According to Quebec's Ministry of Education, all schools must have a policy restricting the use of cell phones in class by December 31. It is the responsibility of each school service center (CSS) to provide sanctions against students who do not follow the rules.
Some CSSs, including Montreal's and the English Montreal School Board, have for some time implemented rules prohibiting the use of cell phones in class outside of authorized courses.
The Ontario example
In Ontario, teachers' unions regret that the ban imposed by the province in 2019 is not being respected and that cell phones are regularly present in classrooms.
At the Toronto District School Board – Canada's largest school board – President Rachel Chernos Lin introduced a motion in January to re-examine the issue and develop a strict new cell phone ban policy.
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Rachel Chernos Lin, president of the Toronto District School Board, suggests reviewing electronic device policies in all 583 schools. (archive photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada / Spencer Gallichan-Lowe
I wish there was something snarky, but ultimately I hope we create a culture around cell phone use that's different than the one we have today.
Joel Westheimer, a professor at the University of Ottawa's faculty of education, isn't surprised the Toronto school board wants to reopen the debate because he believes Ontario's rule is deeply flawed. It wasn't written in such a way that it really applies to the entire province, he explains.
Very positive results elsewhere
The issue of cell phones has come to the fore since a UNESCO report in July concluded that they could disrupt learning. Mr Drainville said the report spurred him to action.
Several countries have gone further than Quebec and Ontario. In 2018, France banned people under 15 from using phones in schoolyards, while China banned phones for schoolchildren in 2021.
The British government announced in October that it would publish guidelines to help school leaders who want to ban phones in schools, adding that its move was in line with similar bans in Italy and Portugal.
Many jurisdictions around the world have implemented cell phone bans and have had very positive results. Students are less distracted, more engaged, and we've even seen academic gains and a decrease in loneliness.
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Joel Westheimer, Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa (archive photo)
Photo: Submitted by Joel Weistheimer
The president of the Federation of Parents' Committees of Quebec, Mélanie Laviolette, welcomes these rules.
“We hope our children are in the best possible position to learn, so it's good not to have TikTok on hand,” Ms. Laviolette emphasizes.
Director of the Association of English-Speaking Parents' Committees, Katherine Korakakis, called the government's decision a missed opportunity that avoids issues such as technology addiction, media literacy or fake news and instead focuses on punitive measures.
“I think teaching students about digital citizenship, technology use, addiction and issues like that would have a much greater impact than taking a phone away from them,” she says.