Phone-Free School Policies Are Here. Time to Make them Stick.
Phone-Free School Policies Are Here. Time to Make them Stick.
One year after provinces introduced student phone restrictions, it’s becoming clearer what works: ‘bell-to-bell’ policies, clearly communicated and consistently enforced.
by: Rajender Singh, André R Côté
date: December 11, 2025
By fall 2024, every Canadian province had introduced some form of restriction on personal device use in schools. The rationale was consistent across jurisdictions: mounting concerns about distraction and learning impacts, declining student wellbeing, and the erosion of school culture. Provincial policies established similar core expectations from coast-to-coast – phones off and out of sight during school hours. But how has it gone?