Ontario cellphone ban: Ford says students should focus on learning [Video]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province’s latest attempts to limit cellphone use in classrooms are designed to help students focus on learning.

Ford says his message to students in class is simple: do not use cellphones.

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On Sunday, Ontario’s education minister announced new rules on cellphone and social media use in elementary and high schools.

Kids in kindergarten to Grade 6 will be required to keep phones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day, unless they get explicit permission from an educator.

Students in grades seven and up will see cellphone use banned during class time.

The Progressive Conservative government had asked school boards to come up with their own cellphone policies in 2019, but Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the results were mixed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2024