The cellphone rules for the 2024-2025 school year in every Canadian province and territory

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Starting in September, governments in almost every province in Canada will enact policies that restrict phone use in the classroom – with rules varying for elementary schools and high schools.

Canada’s student cellphone bans face a crucial test on their first day at school

The increased use of cellphones and social media by students has been a source of concern for policy makers, educators and parents. The devices and platforms have been blamed for incidents of cyberbullying, disrupted sleep patterns and the inability of young people to focus.

So, what are the policies around cellphone use in classrooms across Canada? Here’s a breakdown of the guidelines in each province and territory for the 2024-2025 school year.

What are the policies around cellphone use in schools across Canada?

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British Columbia

British Columbia is the latest province to restrict cellphone use in all school districts, starting in the fall.

Premier David Eby says all districts now have policies in place to ban phone use “bell-to-bell,” and school boards will determine how the rules will be implemented.

“They’re not going to be out in the hallways, not going to be out in the schoolyards. It’s a bell-to-bell restriction on cellphones, recognizing that there are some kids with disabilities that may require access to a phone for an accommodation of some kind,” he said.

The province announced in January that it would work with school districts to design restrictions in time for the fall.

The Vancouver School Board voted for a policy, which would begin in September, that requires students from kindergarten to Grade 7 to keep their phones on silent and out of sight during the school day unless they get permission from an educator. Surrey School District has also updated its policy, saying digital devices – including cellphones, tablets, laptops and smartwatches – should be put away during lunch and recess at elementary schools. They can only be used in class for school activities “that enhance student learning” at the direction of a teacher.

Alberta

Alberta announced in June that it would ban cellphones in kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms, starting in the fall. Students in the province will be required to turn their cellphones off and keep them out of sight during instructional time. School boards will also restrict access to social media on their networks. The government said that exceptions will be made for students needing the device for medical reasons.

Alberta’s Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said that while the ban takes effect in the fall, school divisions will have until Jan. 1 to put their own policies and procedures on the books. That includes rules on how cellphones will need to be stored, “roles and responsibilities, consequences, and annual notification that are reflective of the province’s expectations.” The rollout, however, has caused some confusion among teachers in districts that have not yet instituted their own policies.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is one of the most recent provinces to announce cellphone restrictions in its schools. Starting in the fall, cellphones will not be permitted in all kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms. High school teachers, however, will be able to seek exemptions from administration to allow cellphone use during class if needed for instructional purposes. The province also said exemptions will be made for students with medical or learning needs.

Some classrooms in Saskatchewan already restrict cellphones, but Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill has said the aim is to create consistent rules across the province.

Manitoba

Manitoba recently announced its decision to ban the use of cellphones in classrooms, starting in September. There will be a ban for students in kindergarten to Grade 8, while those in high school will be restricted from using their devices during class time but are free to use them during breaks and lunch.

Education Minister Nello Altomare said the bans are designed to reduce distractions.

Some school divisions have already imposed bans. Manitoba’s francophone school division banned cellphones last year in all of its schools. Division scolaire franco-manitobaine is also taking steps to further restrict screen time by advising teachers to limit computer usage for elementary and middle-school students to no more than an hour a day in the classroom.

The Hanover School Division in southern Manitoba embarked on a pilot project with one of its schools last year to see if a ban would be effective. The division spoke with principals, the school board and parent councils and found they were in favour of a cellphone ban for kindergarten to Grade 8 unless they have been granted an exemption for medical or other reasons, which is set to begin this school year.

Ontario

Ontario has implemented restrictions on cellphone use in schools since 2019, but the province made changes to its policy earlier this year to strengthen the crackdown and address inconsistency among school boards.

Starting in September, students in kindergarten to Grade 6 will be required to keep their phones on silent and out of sight during the entire school day. Meanwhile, cellphones are not allowed during class time for students in Grades 7 to 12. Social media websites will be removed from all school networks and devices. Also, report cards will include comments on each students’ distraction levels in class.

In March, four Ontario school boards – including the country’s largest school board, Toronto District School Board – became the first in Canada to file a lawsuit against the parent companies of social-media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, accusing them of harming the mental health of students and disrupting learning. Five more Ontario school boards and two private schools launched similar lawsuits in May. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Quebec

Last year, Quebec directed its school boards to restrict phone use in classes by Dec. 31, 2023.

The directive, which aims to reduce distractions in class, applies to public elementary and secondary schools, but it offers teachers flexibility to let students use phones for specific educational purposes. It will be up to individual school boards to come up with penalties for students who don’t follow the rules.

Some boards, including the province’s largest French-language one – Centre de services scolaire de Montreal – and the English Montreal School Board, have had rules for some time prohibiting cellphones in class outside of authorized lessons.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick updated its technology policy in May to clarify restrictions on cellphone use in the classroom. The changes, which will take effect in September, gives teachers in the province more authority “to effectively oversee cellphone use in their classrooms and limit their use to teaching or medical purposes.”

Cellphone use by students in the classroom for educational reasons will be at the teacher’s discretion. Other than that, teachers will have students place their cellphones in a designated area of the classroom on silent mode during class time. Students who use their cellphones for medical reasons may continue to use it.

PEI

Prince Edward Island announced in mid-July that it would restrict cellphone use in schools starting in September. Teachers will be able to exercise their discretion to allow students in Grades 7 to 12 to use cellphones in class for educational purposes, and exceptions will be made for students needing access to their devices for special education or medical needs.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia’s public schools won’t allow the use of cellphones and other personal electronic devices during classroom hours starting this fall. The decision was announced in early June. Students will need to switch off their phones and store them during classroom hours with rules varying for elementary schools – where students will store their phones for the whole day – and junior high and high schools, where students might have the option of using them during lunch and other breaks.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador’s education department says it’s drafting a new policy for use of cellphones and other personal devices in schools. The policy will “consider” more restrictions, with consultations taking place in September before the new policy adopted. In the meantime, the government is reminding parents to discuss the use of cellphones with their children before the return to school. Students from kindergarten to Grade 6 are not allowed to use cellphones in class unless it’s for “documented learning needs.”

Yukon

Currently, there isn’t a universal policy regarding the use of cellphones in Yukon schools. The Yukon Department of Education said that several schools, in collaboration with their school councils, have established their own cellphone use policies.

Yukon’s two school boards – the First Nation School Board and the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon (CSFY) – have the authority to set their own policies.

The First Nation School Board said it does not have a cellphone policy in place, but it is “currently exploring options for cellphone or personal electronic device policy development for our schools.” CSFY also said it does not currently have an over encompassing policy in place, but there are school-level policies tailored to the age groups at each school.

Northwest Territories

There currently isn’t a territory-wide policy around cellphone use in schools in the Northwest Territories. Instead, Education Bodies, a decentralized system of authority set out in the NWT’s Education Act, has the authority to make policy decisions for schools within their jurisdiction, including policies on cellphone use.

Nunavut

Nunavut does not currently have a territory-wide cellphone use policy for schools. Matthew Illaszewicz from the Nunavut Department of Education said that instead each district has the authority to set their own policies for its schools.

At least one high school has a ban in place. In 2016, Inuksuk High School implemented a policy that prohibits students from using cellphones and electronic devices during class unless it’s an emergency or is part of an educational activity.

In depth

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With reports from Xiao Xu, Caroline Alphonso and The Canadian Press.