The provincial government is looking to reduce distractions in Ontario schools and help keep kids safe.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce held a news conference on Sunday, outlining new measures to limit cell phone use in schools and ban vaping, starting in the 2024-25 school year.
Starting the next school year, students in kindergarten to Grade 6 will be required to keep phones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day, unless given explicit permission from an educator. Students in Grades 7 to 12 will have cellphones banned during class time. Social media websites will also be removed from all school networks and devices, and report cards will include comments on students’ distraction levels in class.
Officials say Ontario is the first province in Canada to have a province-wide social media ban on school networks and devices, and the new cellphone restrictions go further than any other jurisdiction in Canada.
The province will also be banning vaping in schools, alongside all tobacco, nicotine and cannabis products. Students will be required to surrender vapes, along with parents or guardians being notified of the situation.