BC's New Phone Ban

Photo Credit: Izzy Jang

On Jan. 26, at the District Education Centre in Surrey, BC Premier David Eby announced the restriction of mobile phones in public schools “from bell to bell” across the province, along with two other social media measures to protect Canadian children. 

At the same event, the provincial government launched The Intimate Images Protection Act. The new services have the ability to remove sensitive or explicit images from the internet and seek damages from offenders. In a press release, the Office of the Premier wrote that “the government could use those recovered funds to provide treatment and counselling programs, and put in place monitoring systems and educational programs about the harms of using these products and services.”

This spring, the Province will introduce legislation that can hold social media companies accountable for harm their services cause. This act would allow the government to recover costs from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. In a video shared by the Vancouver Sun, Eby compared social media companies to tobacco and opioid companies that the government has already collected damages from. “We are introducing public harms legislation [...] which enables us to claim from the social media companies for the harms they are causing to our children through their addictive algorithms that [...] feed our children a constant stream of more and more extreme content.”

In the news release, Premier Eby explained that “the companies that run the apps that are on these phones [...] their interest is in keeping our kids online […] so that they can make money for their shareholders. He wrote that “while cell phones, the internet and social media help us connect with each other, they also present risks that can harm kids.” 

The expectation for the cell phone ban is that phones will be completely removed from schools in BC starting in September.

Premier Eby did not present a clear framework for how this policy will be enforced, other than that it “will be directed by the school boards and in partnership with teachers to make sure this is actually effective.” He added that “we know there are kids with disabilities that need access to cell phones,” explaining that supportive of students with special needs who rely on technology. 

Premier Eby cited several reasons for the phone restriction, specifically the mostly unrestricted internet access at school, which can be difficult for teachers to supervise. Premier Eby recounted a conversation with his 9-year-old son, noting that “the pressure that builds on parents as kids get older, as the number of kids with cell phones [rises] is real.” 

Eby also mentioned how today, parents feel inclined to buy a phone for their child so that they’re included in the social aspects of school. He also acknowledged potential criticism from students. Eby recounted how, when his son learned about the announcement, he replied “oh, man, Dad, you are going to be the number one enemy at my school.” The Premier has since notified his security detail about “the rising threat.” 

Though Eby has mostly discussed Internet safety when justifying the policy, another reason BC government officials have cited is the cell phone ban is the disruption that devices cause in the classroom. “Having cell phones in the classroom can be a distraction from the kind of focused learning we want kids to experience at school,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. 

BC’s new policy will parallel policies in other provinces. Ontario restricts cellphones in class, with exceptions for educational, health, and medical uses. Students are allowed to use their phones at recess and lunch. Students in Quebec are also forbidden from using their devices in classrooms. 

A report by UNESCO found some improvements in learning outcomes after cell phones were removed from classrooms. “Incoming notifications or the mere proximity of a mobile device can be a distraction, resulting in students losing their attention from the task at hand.” the report read. “Student use of devices beyond a moderate threshold may have a negative impact on academic performance.” The report also raised concerns about social media use, characterizing it as “disruptive, increasing academic distraction with negative effects on learning outcomes.”