Good morning and happy first day of school to many families across Canada! It’s Caroline Alphonso here, The Globe’s education reporter, filling in for Danielle Groen.
There’s no question that the most discussed back-to-school story this fall is about the cellphone restrictions that have landed in almost every province. But can the new rules be enforced? More on that below, along with an interview with Ukraine’s first lady and Bank of Canada predictions. But first:
Today’s headlines
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushes back against new pressure to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza after mass protests showed the furious response of many Israelis to the discovery of six more dead hostages.
- In B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, apple growers struggle to keep pace with big-scale fruit farming as inflation and soaring production costs threaten the future of their business.
- Archeologists in Ontario say they’re facing a storage crisis. A lack of accessible storage facilities means some artifacts are ending up in garages, spare bedrooms and sometimes in landfills.
Illustration by Rob Dobi
Cellphone bans
Silent mode for schools
Last week, my husband and I received a note from our son’s school principal in Toronto that outlined the new policy around cellphones (put those devices away!) and the penalties for those who disobey.
Strike one: Teachers keep the student’s phone and give it back at the end of the day. Strike two: The phone is kept in the main office for the day and there will be a phone call home. Strike three: Parents are called to pick up the device and the student won’t be allowed to have it in school until a negotiated time.
Wouldn’t it be something if the same rules applied to adults in a board meeting?
I’ve been thinking a lot about the new cellphone restrictions – and writing about them, too.
The fight over cellphones has been brewing for years, but really picked up after pandemic-related online schooling. In the past few years, there have been growing worries about cyberbullying incidents, disrupted sleep patterns and the inability of kids to focus.
More recently, some of the largest schools boards in Ontario filed lawsuits against the social-media giants behind Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, accusing them of negligently designing products that disrupt learning and affect student behaviour.
This fall, almost every province will require students to either leave their phones in their lockers or on silent mode in their backpacks. The devices can only come out if a teacher makes a request for educational purposes, or if a student needs it for medical reasons. These bans are now common around the globe.
On the surface, the restrictions make sense. Our phones are almost like an extra appendage. It’s no different for our kids. So, it’s not surprising that teachers find it a distraction in their classrooms.
But what is more complicated is how much of the fight against the cellphone stems from our own anxiety with the device.
Alexia Polillo, a staff scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, remembers parents’ being anxious around rap music. Then it was video games. Now, it’s the cellphone and social media. “I think that there is a bit of moral panic happening right now,” she said.
There’s no question that the devices are distracting and problematic to learning in the classroom, but the science around how it affects the mental health and well-being of children is still up for debate. Some, including Jonathan Haidt, U.S. social psychologist and bestselling author of The Anxious Generation, have argued that kids who spend more time on social media are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and other disorders. Others say the teen years can be a vulnerable time for young people because of social changes and that it’s a common age for the onset of mental illness – regardless of cellphone use.
What is certain is that kids vary widely on how they use their phones. Some need help tearing their eyes away while others can easily set them aside.
We gave our 13-year-old son a cellphone this summer. He texts his friends and us, and he plays games on it. We are keeping him away from social media for now. (My youngest – 9 going on 13 – wanted a phone as soon as she could walk.)
What I find heartening is that my son can control his behaviour on his phone. He puts it away when we ask. He often leaves it in the living room when he’s down in the basement. Truth be told, my kid is better able to control his cellphone behaviour than I am. Maybe he should confiscate my phone sometimes.
The Shot
“I cannot say that it has been my dream job.”
First lady Olena Zelenska talks to a girl during her visit to the rehabilitation camp "Loud Camp" for children affected by war, organized by the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation and financially supported by the Olena Zelenska Foundation in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.Efrem Lukatsky/The Associated Press
Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska was more used to working behind the scenes as a screenwriter. She spoke with The Globe’s Janice Dickson in Kyiv about how her role has changed as she prepares for the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen this month. The summit, an annual event that was initiated by Zelenska in 2021, brings the spouses of world leaders and experts together to discuss global challenges.
The Week
What we’re following
Wednesday: The Bank of Canada makes its next interest-rate announcement. It is expected that the central bank will lower its key policy rate, which would mark its third consecutive rate cut.
Thursday: The Toronto International Film Festival starts, and runs through to Sept. 15. The Globe has you covered with some of the most anticipated titles.
Thursday: Ontario convenience stores can sell alcohol under new provincial rules.
Friday: Statistics Canada releases jobs data for August.
Friday: The trial is expected to begin in Calgary for the company that runs a commercial kitchen at the centre of an E. coli outbreak at multiple daycares.