High school classrooms in Ontario sound a little different this year. Instead of the constant tapping of teenagers texting their friends, many phones are stored in students’ lockers, backpacks or pockets.

Some students say they welcome the change because it has helped them engage with people, while others find enforcement of the new policy uneven. 

Jeffrey Zhang, a student trustee with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), says he thinks the policy has been successful so far.

“It’s making a change already,” he said. “The rollout itself has gone pretty smoothly, so there haven’t been necessarily huge hiccups.” 

Under the new Ontario policy, phones must be out of sight during class and are only allowed during breaks and lunches for students in Grades 7 to 12.

The change followed reports of phones distracting student learning, including a 2023 UNESCO report showing a link between poor academic performance and excessive phone use. 

“Incoming notifications or the mere proximity of a mobile device can be a distraction,” the report stated, further citing a study that found students can take up to 20 minutes to refocus after engaging in activities like phone scrolling.  

The new rules came into effect on the first day of school this year.

In a statement to Capital Current, the OCDSB wrote that students following the new phone policy have “contributed to a smooth start to the school year” and that “educators have done a great job of ensuring students see it as a learning opportunity and not a punitive measure.” 

It’s made me happy, because I’m on my phone a lot less,” she said. “My friends are less distracted by their phones [and] we all get to help each other in school, we get to talk more off the phone and it’s made me more attentive in class.

Celia Blackburn, Grade 11 student at Colonel By Secondary School

Celia Blackburn, a Grade 11 student at Colonel By Secondary School, says her screen time has decreased from six to five hours per day.

“It’s made me happy, because I’m on my phone a lot less,” she said. “My friends are less distracted by their phones [and] we all get to help each other in school, we get to talk more off the phone and it’s made me more attentive in class.”

Blackburn says many students were misusing their phones during class last year and would hide it behind their desk or backpack.

“People would say, ‘Oh, I don’t have my laptop today, can I use my phone?’” she said.

Sally Park, a Grade 12 student at Glebe Collegiate Institute, also says that last year phones were an issue in class.

“Last year, some people were criticized by teachers for using their phones a lot during class,” Park said.

Now with provincial guidelines in place, school boards and teachers have rules regarding phone use. According to the code of conduct, if a teacher sees a phone not stored away, then the student must give up the device for the duration of class. If the student doesn’t give in their device when asked, they get sent to the principal’s office for increased disciplinary action. 

Zhang says the new rules convey an important message. “Coming from the board, it serves as [a reminder of] what the board values, and this is what the board thinks students should be doing,” he said.

Craig Bond, who teaches math and computer programming, says the provincial policy places a focus on student engagement and learning. 

“Now, we have this consistent messaging, and everybody can follow the same set of rules,” he said. “You’re not getting that, ‘It’s different in one room versus the other’ sort of thing, where students can slip through the cracks.”

Blackburn says last year many teachers “gave up” enforcing phone rules, especially halfway through the year.

Bond says this year he’s policing phones significantly less and has heard similar remarks from his colleagues.

“I maybe speak to one student a day [out of 90 students] and that’s not egregious,” Bond said. “If I ever see a phone, it’s almost a habit thing like the student just stood up and was reorganizing, and happened to put it on the desk. But it’s not blatant use.”

While teachers have some discretion about enforcement, Bond says he has already noticed positive effects.

“The [student] attention is certainly higher,” he said. “I’m able to be more engaging now. I find that you’ve getting more of the students, and they’re paying closer attention to what you’re saying.”

But some students say the enforcement of the new rules has been uneven.

“One teacher asked me to put my phone in my pocket or bag,” Park said. “Another one asked me to put my bag in the locker, including my phone, and then use it after school.”

Alexandre “Belle” Gamble, a Grade 12 student at Franco-Cité Catholic High School, says she has found that many teachers don’t enforce the policy.

“To be honest, no one really mentioned it. I didn’t even know it was a thing,” Gamble said.

She says she has three classes this semester and only one of her teachers enforces the policy.

“[My teacher] has this little phone jail. It’s smaller than the size of a paper, and it sits in the corner of the class,” she said.

Gamble says though students’ attention may be higher, it’s the same people being attentive and listening during class.

“The people who want to engage in class and who want to learn, obviously, they’re not going to be on their phones. But the people who don’t care are on their phones during the whole class, and they don’t even try to hide it,” she said.

Blackburn and Zhang say they find students are more social now and talk to each other during breaks and lunches.

Bond says he has noticed the opposite effect and finds breaks and lunches to be quieter now.

“The actual business of the school, I find, is a lot more subdued, because it’s almost like they’re reaching for it because they haven’t had it,” he said. “You know when you get off an airplane and you’re catching up on all the things that have come through, that feels like that’s what’s going on.”

It’s important that we are able to teach students what it means to be responsible [phone] users, because that’s going to set them up for success in the future.

Jeffrey Zhang, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board student trustee

Zhang says though the new rules are working, there should be an emphasis on digital responsibility rather than restricting phones.

“It’s important that we are able to teach students what it means to be responsible [phone] users, because that’s going to set them up for success in the future,” he said. “It does more than just saying, ‘OK, we’re going to ban this and we’re not going to necessarily talk about it or help students have the skills they need.’”

More discussions about digital responsibility may come later, but right now Bond says he’s been surprised with how well he has found the new policy so far.

“It’s been pretty remarkable how well this has gone so far,” he said. “There has been almost no backlash.”