New Brunswick looking at changing cellphone rules in classrooms

New Brunswick may be preparing to follow Ontario’s footsteps when it comes to banning cellphones in the classroom.

“The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has been working on updates to Policy 311 to address cellphone use in a more stringent way,” said the Department of Education in a statement sent to CTV News Atlantic, although it did not provide further details. “The department will be bringing forward these modifications in the coming weeks.”

The purpose of Policy 311 is to “define the minimum standards for appropriate use of information and communication technologies in the public school system.”

The potential changes will come not long after Ontario announced more stringent measures on cellphone use in schools. As of September, students from kindergarten to Grade 6 will have to keep their phones silent and out of sight for the day unless instructed otherwise.

Older students in Grade 7 to 12 would have a little more phone freedom, with the mobile devices only being banned during classroom time.

For the most part, high school students in Saint John, N.B., hope the same rules won’t come to their province.

“Not at all, not at all, I like my phone, I like to keep it on me,” says Grade 10 student Harvey MacGillivray. “What if someone has to contact their parents in any way or something and you’re not allowed to have your phone in class? I think it’s just kind of pointless.”

“I think that would just be bad because like why, why would you ban them, you know?” agrees fellow Grade 10 student Sophie Dionne.

“It’s not the greatest policy just because, you know, sometimes you need it to get your work done in class and stuff,” says Liam O’Kane, who adds it may be tough to enforce as students have gotten clever with hiding their mobile devices in class.

Other students have a differing opinion.

“They just need to cut down on cellphone use in school in total,” admits one Grade 11 student.

“I think they need it because, like, I feel like I am just always pulling out my phone in class, like, even when you are not supposed to but, like, everyone is just distracted on them,” says Cohen King of Grade 10.

Those no longer in high school also agree personal phones have no business being out during learning hours.

“Being in the classrooms, the teachers need your full attention,” one uptown resident told CTV News Atlantic. “It’s good for studying and I think they should be banned because during test times as well, there is a possibility that someone’s not paying attention.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” admits Diane, a retired teacher. “I don’t think students need their phones, they have computers and iPads they can use and they can wait until they are out of class to use their cellphone.”

“We get so distracted by scrolling, texting, the beeps, the buzzers,” another resident points out. “It’s important to have your phone off and concentrate on the matter at hand.”

Dr. Simon Sherry is a psychology professor at Dalhousie University, and a practicing clinical psychologist at Crux Psychology in Halifax. He applauds the decision made by Ontario to ban cellphones form classrooms and hopes Maritime schools follow suit.

“There’s compelling research to suggest cellphones have a profound and negative impact on our youth,” says Dr. Sherry. “Excessive screen time, including cellphones, is associated with depression, anxiety, loneliness, obesity, inattention, and a host of other serious problems.”

He says teens spend an average of six-to-eight hours a day of screen time, and taking phones away from students while in school would cut down these numbers.

Dr. Sherry says it may be difficult for teachers to enforce the rule, given the amount of stress many of them are already under while on the job.

“They are often subject to very difficult work conditions, sometimes and too often including violence,” Dr. Sherry says. “So it is a big ask to ask our already overburdened teachers to take on another responsibility.

“Frankly, as a parent of a teenager, this is the difficult responsibility, keeping a cellphone away from a teenager is like a weed. You trim it one day and it grows right back the next.”

While it may be difficult, in the eyes of Dr. Sherry, it’s a fight worth having. He believes if cellphones are banned during learning hours, schools will see a bump in academic performance overall from students, along with increased attention and lower rates of anxiety, depression and suicidality.

“There are serious mental and physical impacts that happen through the excessive use of cellphones and screen time,” he says

Nova Scotia's department of education says they have started consulting with School Advisory Councils (SAC) on the role cellphones should play in school. SAC members have until the end of Friday to offer their thoughts on the matter in an online consultation.

The department has also received input from the Minister's Student Advisory Council, on top of getting the opinions from teachers and education staff on mobile devices in schools. The department will summarize the results and share their findings in the coming months, with a goal of implementing a chosen approach during the 2024-25 school year.

CTV Atlantic also reached out to Price Edward Island’s education department, but have not received a response.

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.