New Policy in Ontario Schools Limits Cellphone Use and Smoking

According to a report by the Canadian local media The Globe and Mail on April 29, Ontario's Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, stated that new policies will restrict the use of cellphones in classrooms and prohibit the use of social media or smoking on school grounds in order to reduce distractions for students.

During the morning press conference, Lai Che announced these new measures and shared his opinion that they are necessary steps to improve school safety and help students focus on their studies. Students from kindergarten to sixth grade will now be required to silence and keep their phones out of sight throughout the school day, unless they receive explicit permission from an educator. Students in seventh grade and above will be prohibited from using their phones in the classroom.

Some people support the view that social media is designed to be addictive: "It is threatening the well-being of our children."

The new policy will also ban all social media platforms from accessing school networks and devices, with the government stating that this is a first in all provinces of Canada. Additionally, report cards will now include an evaluation of students' level of distraction in the classroom.

Principal Leche said that all schools will prohibit the use of e-cigarettes. If students are found carrying e-cigarettes or tobacco, they will be required to surrender them, and school staff will notify the students' parents in such cases.