Ontario may ban cellphones outright in schools

Media consultant Mohit Rajhans says education is at a technology tipping point, and that social media and AI are separate issues that need to be addressed.

Ontario is considering an outright ban on cellphones in schools, and is looking at restricting social media for kids under a certain age, Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra says.

“We’re reflecting on a wider ban on cellphones. I think the evidence is becoming more and more clear that cellphone use in our schools – elementary and our secondary schools – anywhere on site, has become a problem,” Calandra told reporters during an announcement about building new schools in the London, Ont. area Tuesday.

The comment came after Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said recently that his province would move to become the first province to ban kids from using social media.

Asked whether the Ontario government would consider something similar, Calandra said “absolutely” but added that Manitoba is not going far enough.

“We are going to be working closely with the federal government with respect to a broader social media ban, frankly, for kids under a certain age. I know the federal government is interested in that,” Calandra said.

“We’re reviewing what Manitoba has done. I think it’s a good opportunity for us in Ontario, but doesn’t go necessarily as far as we would like it to go, but it is a good step.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what part of Manitoba’s plan would not go far enough. The province has not yet publicly unveiled all the details of its proposed restrictions.

There has been growing public concern in recent years about the potential harms of social media for kids, including the addictive nature of the platform, exposure to online predators and cyberbullying.

In terms of the cellphone ban, Calandra said there would be exemptions for health and other valid reasons.

In 2024, Ontario moved to restrict cellphone use during school hours. Students in kindergarten to Grade 6 have to keep phones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day, while those in Grades 7 to 12 cannot use their phones during class time unless explicitly allowed by the teacher.

Speaking with CP24 Tuesday, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles agreed more must be done to protect kids from the harms of social media, but said banning cellphones altogether may not be practical.

“Having that cellphone is a connection for parents to keep an eye on their kids and where they’re at, and a lot of children, particularly here in the GTA, travel long distances to get to school or have other responsibilities, like siblings,” Stiles said. “So I think keeping them completely out of school is maybe impossible, but perhaps restricting them to backpacks might be an option.”

She said government intervention makes sense because leaving parents and families to navigate the complexities of social media has not proven effective.

“The evidence seems to be indicating that it is having a really significant impact, particularly social media use, on young people, on children and their self-awareness, their emotional and mental well-being,” Stiles said. “We are certainly seeing that, and I know that for parents, it’s really tough too, because actually policing that, understanding it ourselves, dealing with issues like cyber-bullying, has been really hard.”

Some parents have recently called on the federal government to follow in the footsteps of jurisdictions like Australia, and do more to regulate social media use for young people.

In December, the country banned those under 16 years of age from having accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch or TikTok.

However some experts did caution the move could be difficult to enforce and might drive kids to use social media in secret, where it would be harder for parents to monitor.

Suspended trustees not returning soon

Calandra also said he is not planning to reinstate suspended school board trustees anytime soon.

“Trustees will be reinstated across supervised boards when we feel that the boards are on track and not before, and I don’t see across any of the supervised boards where boards are ready to be put back into the hands of trustees and away from supervisors,” Calandra said.

He also defended his decision not to allow supervisors he’s appointed to run the school boards to speak with reporters, saying they are “not media personalities.”

His comments come a day after fiery exchanges in committee hearings over Bill 101 – the Ford government’s proposed legislation to modify school board governance. Among other things, the law would put a CEO in charge as the top official at each school board, and cap the number of trustees.