BC Educational boards respond to growing concern around use of digital devices in schools, by introducing policies restricting students’ use of smartphones, tablets and smartwatches during class, in the hope of creating an environment conducive to improving academic success.
In January 2024, Premier David Eby issued the mandate, directing all school districts in B.C. to revise their codes of conduct by the start of the 2024-25 school year to include specific guidelines on personal digital device use.
These regulations, which include the use of technology during class time, are intended to set clear boundaries for students across all grade levels.
SD73 School Trustee Cole Hickson spoke in support of the regulation, emphasizing the significant distractions that phones can create in the classroom. “The biggest issue [with cell phones], is that they’re a huge distraction in the classroom… I would watch kung-fu movies in the back of grade 10 math class.” says Hickson. “What you’re seeing with a lot of studies is students, especially those who are the lowest performers, when they get cell phones removed, drastically improve their scores in the classroom.”
Hickson also spoke on distraction as a human nature: “I know kids will find ways to access distractions no matter what. It’s human nature to want a break—think of the cliché of paper airplanes or passing notes. So, I’m not overly concerned about it at this point.” he says.
“ We’re certainly aware that it could become an issue, and we’re prepared to respond accordingly, depending on how it shows up or manifests.” – noted Hickson
Hickson also acknowledges that equity remains a major priority when it comes to policy making, ensuring that special needs children are included, establishing the environment that supports everyone’s academic success.
“We also have students such as those with diabetes, whose cell phones have become a very important piece of technology to monitor their own health.” – noted Hickson.
In addition, district codes of conduct have to cover the demands for accommodations and accessibility for students with disabilities, according to the Personal Digital Device Restrictions Support Guide for the new regulations.
“This might involve the use of personal digital devices to support students with disabilities or diverse abilities as outlined in students’ support plans and Individual Education Plans. Codes of conduct may consider the use of assistive technology on personal digital devices at school to support student accessibility, communication, and autonomy.” the BC Support Guide states.
However, the issue of cell phones being a distraction in schools still remains an acute discussion topic. SD73 educator Reese Mansfield, sees cell phones as a natural and essential part of modern reality. She believes that teaching students responsible device usage would be more beneficial for them rather than enforcing restrictive bans. “Getting rid of [phones] is not going to help,” says Mansfield. “It’s become part of the teacher’s responsibility to teach kids to use phones in a productive and respectful manner.” Mansfield says.
According to Mansfield, taking mobile phones away entirely can make it more difficult to teach digital literacy skills, which are now just as important as more traditional classes, pointing out that younger educators typically see phones as instruments for engagement and learning, while older educators who were not raised with technology may be less willing to use them in the classroom.
“Getting rid of [phones] is not going to help,” says Mansfield. “It’s become part of the teacher’s responsibility to teach kids to use phones in a productive and respectful manner.”
According to Mansfield, in her experience, the media portrayal of smartphone usage among middle school students is often over exaggerated: “What I’ve noticed is that most of my students—who are between seven and fourteen years old—don’t even have cell phones. By seventh grade, maybe around 50% do, and by eighth grade, it’s about 75-80%, but they’re not using them as much as the media or TikTok makes it seem.” she says.
“Those stories of kids with unlimited access to the internet are exaggerated. For the most part, if they get distracted and go on their phones, they know they’ll be told to put it away or it’ll get taken. Asking them to get off their phones doesn’t really take more time than any other kind of redirection,” adds Mansfield, while explaining her approach to teaching in the classroom.
“What’s also interesting is that kids today are better than adults at spotting misinformation. They can suss out fake stories online instantly, which is something many adults struggle with. In fact, they’re way more media-literate than older generations, who sometimes don’t get that kids’ humor that has layers of irony and intelligence to it.” noted Mansfield.
Reese Mansfield also points out a generational divide among educators and ways in which it impacts their perception of mobile devices’ use in schools.
“There’s a very large gap of differences between this Gen Alpha and the boomers. Boomers think that this stuff they see on the internet is like brain rot. It just sounds stupid because [older adults] don’t understand it.” – says Mansfield.
Mansfield believes that teaching responsible tech use is more effective than a total ban. “Do I think phones need some limits? Absolutely. But should we remove them completely? No, because we need to teach kids to use phones respectfully and to evaluate online information carefully.” noted Mansfield. “Teaching tech literacy is no different than teaching any other subject; it’s essential in today’s world. And honestly, kids aren’t dumb—they’ll find a way around any restriction if it’s too strict. In my experience, balanced guidance and realistic conversations work better.”.
New regulations require that students keep their phones in their lockers or on the teacher’s desk during class time and only use them when necessary. However, up until recently, it was the responsibility of local school districts to establish their own device use policy. Each district was required to revise its codes of conduct as part of the provincial program in order to specify exactly which gadget usage was prohibited. These regulations have to ensure that such an integral part of our modern day to day life, not only does not harm, but also is a great assistant for educational purposes.
References:
B.C.’s phone ban in schools: What students and parents/guardians need to know. (2024, September 2). Vancouversun. https://vancouversun.com/news/bc-school-phone-ban-what-to-know
Ministry of Education and Child Care. (2024, September 10). Cell phone restrictions in schools. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/cellphones-in-schools#
Ministry of Education and Child Care. (2024a, June 12). Personal Digital Device (Cell Phone) Restrictions in Schools – Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/legislation-policy/public-schools/personal-digital-device-restrictions-in-schools
Ministry of Education and Child Care. (2024a). Personal Digital Device Restrictions Support Guide. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/legislation-policy/legislation/schoollaw/personal_digital_devices_support_guide.pdf
TheSouthAfrican.com. (2024, October 21). SA’s first-ever digital pact: Parents say NO to smartphone use for children. Pinterest. https://pin.it/PswcBccpU
Some tips: Your quotes are way too long. Review our presentation on quotes to have a better understanding on how and when to use them. Most of it should be paraphrased.
Lead: As this is not timely, the date when he said that is not important and should not be the first thing. ALWAYS focus on what’s the most important information. It’s also not clear if schools started doing that or not. Instead of saying “include specific guidelines,” say which guidelines were included.