Students push back against Quebec's plan to fully ban cellphones in schools

Hénia Ould-Hammou · CBC News

· Posted: May 11, 2025 10:47 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Many students across Quebec person been expressing their dissatisfaction with the government's determination to enforce a afloat prohibition connected cellphone and different physics devices. 

On April 30, the province's Education Minister Bernard Drainville announced his determination arsenic portion of a bid of measures to amended "civility" successful Quebec's schools.

The state had already banned cellphones successful classrooms — a measurement that took effect the archetypal time of past year, pursuing the pb of an increasing list of provinces with akin policies.

The afloat prohibition connected cellphones volition travel into effect arsenic of the adjacent schoolhouse twelvemonth successful superior and precocious schools whether they're backstage oregon public — and it volition apply from the opening to the extremity of the schoolhouse day.

But galore don't o.k. of the caller rule.

Students person been publishing videos connected societal media to explicit their vexation and stock their perspective.

Some adjacent went connected onslaught connected Friday, missing a time of class.

Karry-Jokebed Fournier, a 16-year-old, took portion successful a tiny protest in beforehand of her school.

"I archer [Drainville] to interest astir existent problems alternatively of worrying astir the phones due to the fact that there's existent problems successful the satellite that request to beryllium fixed and phones are conscionable not a problem," said the pupil at Daniel-Johnson High School, which is located successful Montreal's eastbound extremity neighbourhood of Pointe-aux-Trembles.

Karry-Jokebed said students usage their phones to "get a sensation of the world," and interaction their parents oregon adjacent show their health.

"We privation to feel a consciousness of information ... when we travel to school. It besides helps our parents cognize that we are alright and that we are safe," she said. 

Drainville argued that cellphones are an obstacle to socialization among students and tin beryllium a root of conflict.

But Karry-Jokebed asserted that students talk to each different each the time. 

"During luncheon time, the cafeteria is truthful loud, with students talking to each other. It's truly uncommon to spot idiosyncratic glued to their phone," she said.

Triston Houghting, a 16-year-old from Rosemount High School, described the determination arsenic "ridiculous" and remarked that phones were besides a mode of socializing.

"Teachers grew up successful an property wherever they didn't truly usage phones successful their generation. We grew up with our phones and we're benignant of attached to them to pass with our parents, cognize what's going connected successful the world," helium said.

"We're successful a procreation wherever accusation is precise important and I consciousness similar our phones are a precise important portion of our education." 

Triston explained that helium utilized his telephone successful people to perceive to music, allowing him to "get successful the zone" and absorption connected his mathematics work, which helium usually doesn't enjoy.

He added that astir students utilized their phones for probe and that helium preferred not to work insubstantial books. Using text-to-speech softwares, helium said, helps him get done worldly much quickly.

Phone utilized to flight reality, says student

The cellphone prohibition was recommended by a peculiar committee that studies the interaction of screens connected young people. The interim study that followed showed that cellphones were a root of distraction and interfered with students' ability to learn.

But the study besides stated that determination whitethorn beryllium circumstantial exceptions erstwhile the usage of physics devices is necessary, specified as when a student's aesculapian information justifies it, for teachers' acquisition purposes oregon to enactment students with disabilities oregon learning difficulties. 

WATCH | The latest connected Quebec's program for a cellphone prohibition successful schools: 

Triston acknowledged that students tin "probably" get distracted for a infinitesimal oregon 2 during class, but suggested it was not truly a concern.

Sharlie Rose Moreau, a Secondary 2 pupil from Daniel-Johnson High School, describes the cellphone prohibition arsenic "useless."

"Most people conscionable walk their clip connected their telephone to hide reality," she said.

Moreau shared that she didn't person galore friends and sometimes spends her luncheon breaks listening to music.

She besides emphasized that entree to phones is important for students to grounds evidence, especially if teachers display worrisome behaviours.

The acquisition minister's announcement of a afloat prohibition connected cellphones successful schools came weeks earlier the peculiar committee is expected to array its last report.

In summation to the effects of surface clip connected young people, that study volition research topics specified arsenic cyberbullying and explicit content, supervision measures astatine schoolhouse and online, entree to societal media and video games arsenic good arsenic advertizing targeted astatine children.

WATCH | Quebec besides wants students to talk much formally to teachers: