British Columbia - Jan, 26, 2024 media release
B.C. launches concrete actions to keep kids safe, healthy
The Province is moving forward on three important actions to keep kids and young people safe from online threats, restrict cellphones in school and hold social media companies accountable.
“Today, kids live with different challenges than they did a generation ago, and they face them all in the palm of their hand,” said Premier David Eby. “While cellphones, the internet and social media help us connect with each other, they also present risks that can harm kids. The impact and influence of these tools is so great, and the corporations so powerful, it can be overwhelming for parents. That’s why we are taking action to protect kids from the threats posed by online predators and the impacts of social media companies.”
The announcement includes three concrete actions to keep kids and young adults safe:
restricting the use of cellphones in schools;
launching services to remove images from the internet and pursue predators; and
legislation to hold social media companies accountable for the harm they have caused.
Research shows that frequent cellphone interruption in the classroom, social media platforms with addictive algorithms and predators who seek to exploit young people all present significant risks to young people. Studies have found that children’s mental health and physical safety can suffer as a result of body-image distortion, cyberbullying, images shared without consent and disturbing instances of sextortion.
The Province will work with school districts to ensure all schools have policies in place by the start of the next school year to be able to restrict students’ cellphone use in the classroom.
“Having cellphones in the classroom can be a distraction from the kind of focused learning we want kids to experience at school,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “There also is a time and a place for cellphones, including when they support student accessibility purposes. 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.”
The Province is also ensuring more digital literacy training is available for students so they have the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe from online predators, become good digital citizens and develop healthy relationships with technology.
On Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, the Province will launch two new services to help people stop or prevent the distribution of explicit images of them and pursue damages from the perpetrators. These services will improve access to justice and offer a clear path to legal action.
“Technology can be an extremely useful tool, but when used by bad actors it can have devastating impacts on people’s lives,” said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. “That’s why we are providing supports for people, especially young adults, to take down their private images from websites and pursue damages against predators.”
In spring 2024, to keep kids healthy and further protect them from other long-term detrimental impacts, the Province will be introducing legislation to hold companies accountable for the harms their products may have caused the public. When it comes to social media companies, this legislation would enable the government to recover costs caused by harms to children and adults associated with their platforms and algorithms. The government could use those recovered funds to provide treatment and counselling programs, and put in place monitoring systems and educational programs about the harms of using these products and services.
These actions are part of a larger effort to keep kids safe and healthy, which includes expanding Foundry youth mental-health centres, launching an anti-vaping strategy and expanding school food programs through Feeding Futures.
Ontario - April 28, 2024 media release
Ontario Cracking Down on Cellphone Use and Banning Vaping in Schools
Province removing distractions from classrooms as part of its back-to-basics plan
Ontario is introducing the most comprehensive plan in Canada to reduce distractions in classrooms and improve the health of children by standardizing and strengthening provincewide measures and mandatory learning to directly counter the alarming rise of vaping and cellphone distractions within classrooms.
As students benefit from three more years of uninterrupted learning as a result of the government’s historic signing of deals with all teachers’ unions, the government is taking further action to go back-to-basics by combating the negative impact mobile devices, social media and vaping are having on in-class learning.
“We have heard loud and clear from parents and teachers alike that cellphones in classrooms are distracting kids from learning,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “Our government is introducing the toughest policy in Canada to tackle this issue by cracking down on cellphone usage during class time, as well as banning vaping in all schools. When it comes to cellphones, our policy is ‘out of sight and out of mind,’ as we get students back to the basics by restoring focus, safety and common sense back in Ontario schools.”
Students in kindergarten to Grade 6 will be required to keep phones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day, unless explicitly permitted by an educator. For students in Grades 7 to 12, cellphones will not be permitted during class time unless explicitly directed by the educator. Moreover, social media websites will be removed from all school networks and devices, and report cards will include comment on students’ distraction levels in class. The government will provide mandatory training for teachers and new supports for students and parents.
The government is also strengthening the rules around students caught using or carrying vapes or cigarettes. Students will be required to surrender these products, along with parents being notified immediately of the situation. The government also officially announced $30 million in the 2024 Budget to install vape detectors and other security upgrades in schools.
To support these initiatives, the government is investing $17.5 million in new wrap-around supports for student mental health and parent engagement. This will include:
- $15 million to provide supports for students at risk of addictive behaviours
- $1 million to partner with School Mental Health Ontario to develop webinars and resources targeted to parents and students across the province to learn how to talk about the adverse effects of vaping and excessive cellphone usage
- $1.5 million to Parent Involvement Committees and students to run local prevention campaigns to help deter vaping and cellphone distractions
These changes and investments are part of the government’s plan to get students back to basics. By removing distractions in the classroom, students can focus on learning the skills they need to succeed after graduation.
Nova Scotia - June 6, 2024 media release
New Cell Phone Directive for Nova Scotia Schools
This fall, a new directive limiting the use of cell phones and other personal mobile devices in public schools provincewide will help students stay focused and support teachers.
Starting in the 2024-25 school year, all students will be required to turn off their personal mobile devices and store them out of sight during instructional time. Limited exceptions, like junior high and high school teachers allowing cell phone use in class for instructional purposes, will be available.
Under the directive, elementary school students must have their phones stored during the entire school day. Older students may have the option to use cell phones during lunch and other breaks depending on individual school rules.
“Our priority is doing what is best for students, informed by what we hear directly from students, school staff, families and communities,” said Becky Druhan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “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.”
With this change, there will be processes in schools to ensure parents and students can get in touch if needed, including in an emergency. The directive will also be supported by curriculum resources that help students to use technology safely and responsibly as well as resources for school staff and parents.
Throughout the spring, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development consulted with school advisory councils and ministerial advisory councils, as well as the Public School Administrators Association of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union on the use of cell phones in schools. The team also visited schools, spoke directly with principals and teachers and consulted with IWK public health experts. Responses overwhelmingly supported clear, consistent restrictions on cell phone use.
The new directive is available online: https://www.ednet.ns.ca/cellphones
Quebec - Dec 26, 2023 media story
Quebec students forbidden from using cellphones in classrooms after winter break
All public elementary and secondary schools must have policy in place by Dec. 31
Quebec's new rule banning cellphones in classrooms will be in effect when students return from the holiday break, making the province the second to implement such a measure, after Ontario.
The directive, which aims to reduce distractions in class, enters into force Dec. 31, 2023 and applies to public elementary and secondary schools, but it offers teachers flexibility to let students use phones for specific pedagogical purposes.
Many Quebec schools already had rules limiting cellphones in classes before Education Minister Bernard Drainville introduced the ban in August. But some child advocates say it's in the interest of children to make restrictions as tough as possible.