A 12-year-old boy plays with his personal phone outside school in Barcelona, Spain, on June 17, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Emilio Morenatti)
WINNIPEG — Manitoba is following in the steps of other Canadian provinces to enact its own ban on cell phones in the classroom.
On Thursday, the province announced that beginning this September, Manitoba students will be restricted to when they can and cannot use the devices.
“We know cellphones can be a real distraction for students — studies show it can take up to 20 minutes for a child to refocus on what they were learning once distracted,” said Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Nello Altomare.
Students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 won’t be allowed to use their cell phones during school hours, including at lunch and breaks. Students in Grades 9 to 12 will only be able to use their devices during breaks and at lunch, but not in the classroom. The province is also outlining a clear direction for cell phone use in classrooms for school staff.
“These provincial guidelines will give teachers the tools they need to keep students focused and ensure class time is spent on learning. Plus, we will take safety and medical concerns into account so all risks are minimized.”
Guidelines will include exceptions to support students with medical and diverse learning needs, as well as cell phone use for educational purposes in Grades 9 to 12 when directed by classroom teachers.
The provincial guidance on cell phone use will replace existing policies rolled out by some individual school divisions in Manitoba.
Until now, Manitoba was the only western Canadian province that had not introduced plans to restrict cell phones in schools following Saskatchewan’s decision last week to ban the use of the devices in the upcoming school year.
Saskatchewan’s policy applies to all kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms, and followed announcements in Alberta, B.C., Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia.
— With files from The Canadian Press
