Achi news desk-
New Brunswick may be getting ready to follow in Ontario’s footsteps when it comes to banning cell phones in the classroom.
“The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has been working on updates to Policy 311 to address cell phone use in a more stringent way,” the Department of Education said in a statement sent to CTV News Atlantic, though he did not give further details. “The department will introduce these adjustments 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 come shortly after Ontario announced stricter measures on the use of cell phones in schools. From September onwards, students from nursery to Grade 6 will have to keep their phones on 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 mobile devices but prohibited during class time.
For the most part, high school students in Saint John, NB, hope the same rules don’t come to their state.
“Not at all, not at all, I like my phone, I like to keep it on me,” said 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 pointless.”
“I think that would 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 do your work in class and stuff,” said Liam O’Kane, who adds that it could be difficult to enforce as students have become clever at hiding their mobile phone. devices in the classroom.
Other students have a different opinion.
“They just need to cut down on the use of mobile phones in school,” admits one Grade 11 student.
“I think they need it because, like, I feel like I’m always pulling my phone out in class, like, even when you’re not supposed to but, like, everyone is draw attention to them,” said Cohen King of Grade 10.
Those no longer in high school also agree that personal phones have no business being out during learning hours.
“Being in the classrooms, the teachers need your full attention,” an uptown resident told CTV News Atlantic. “It’s good for studying and I think they should be banned because during test times too, there’s a possibility that someone isn’t 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’re out of class to use their mobile phone.”
“We’re so distracted by scrolling, texting, the beeps, the speakers,” another resident notes. “It’s important to get your phone off and focus on the issue at hand.”
Dr. Simon Sherry is a professor of psychology at Dalhousie University, and a practicing clinical psychologist at Crux Psychology in Halifax. He applauds the decision made by Ontario to ban cell phones from classrooms and hopes Maritime schools will follow suit.
“There is compelling research to suggest that mobile phones are having a profound and negative impact on our youth,” said Dr Sherry. “Too much screen time, including cell phones, is linked to depression, anxiety, loneliness, obesity, inattention, and a host of other serious problems.”
He says that young people spend an average of six to eight hours a day of screen time, and that taking phones away from students while at school would reduce these numbers.
Dr Sherry says it could be difficult for teachers to enforce the rule, given the amount of stress many of them already suffer while on the job.
“They are often subjected to very difficult working conditions, sometimes and too often involving violence,” said Dr Sherry. “So it’s a big ask to ask our already overburdened teachers to take on another responsibility.
“Honestly, as a parent of a teenager, this is the difficult responsibility, keeping a mobile phone away from a teenager is like a weed. You prune it one day and it grows back the next. “
Although it can be difficult, in Dr Sherry’s view, it is a fight worth having. He believes that if mobile phones are banned during teaching hours, schools will see a boost in overall student academic performance, along with increased attention and lower rates of anxiety, depression and suicide.
“There are serious mental and physical effects that occur from excessive use of mobile phones and screen time,” he said
CTV News Atlantic reached out to the education departments of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to get their thoughts on the recent changes made by Ontario on whether similar measures are coming from their areas, but they did not receive a response before publication.
