Manitoba government follows other provinces in restricting cellphone use in schools

WINNIPEG — Manitoba is the latest province to restrict the use of cellphones in classrooms beginning this school year.

There is to be a ban for students in kindergarten to Grade 8, while those in high school will be restricted from using their devices during class time but are free to use them during breaks and lunch.

The bans are designed to reduce distractions.

“Classrooms are for learning. This is a place where you can go and actually focus on topics that are being delivered by your teacher and by your school instead of that app that’s constantly reminding you with a ‘ding’ to look at me,” Education Minister Nello Altomare said Thursday.

The minister expects the new provincial guidelines will give teachers the ability to keep students focused and ensure class time is spent on learning.

Exemptions are to be made for medical or accessibility reasons, as well as for educational purposes in high schools when directed by teachers, Altomare said.

Manitoba’s announcement comes after Saskatchewan announced its decision last week to prohibit the use of the devices in all classrooms for the 2024-25 school year. Manitoba was the last of the western provinces to enact such a restriction.

Premier Wab Kinew said his NDP government didn’t feel pressure to follow suit, but instead listened to feedback from those in the education system.

“This is something that we consulted on extensively, and we know that (from) listening to parents, families and teachers across Manitoba, this is the right step for our kids to be able to learn and reach their full potential,” he said.

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives called for a provincewide ban for elementary and middle schools last week.

“After months of NDP delay and deflection, I’m glad to see the premier finally listened to parents and teachers, and stepped forward with a plan to eliminate cellphone distractions in the classroom,” Tory education critic Grant Jackson said in a statement.

Some school divisions have already imposed bans.

Manitoba’s francophone school division banned cellphones last year in all of its schools. Division scolaire franco-manitobaine is also taking steps to further restrict screen time by advising teachers to limit computer usage for elementary and middle school kids to no more than an hour a day in the classroom.

The Hanover School Division in southern Manitoba embarked on a pilot project with one of its schools last year to see if a ban would be effective. The division spoke with principals, the school board and parent councils and found they were in favour of a policy change for kindergarten to Grade 8, which is set to begin this school year.

Altomare said the government felt a provincewide policy would foster consistency.

“This is a language we use with students: ‘This is what you’re expected to do.’ Just like when you are in a work environment, you’re expected to adhere to the guidelines.”

The minister expects there will be some pushback to start, but it will ease as students become used to the new normal.

The River East Transcona School Division in Winnipeg said it’s too soon to know the impact.

“Once we have all the pertinent information, we will thoughtfully consider its implication on our current policy and practice,” superintendent Sandra Herbst said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2024.

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press