Alberta's school cell phone ban has been in place for one month. Here's how families and staff think it's going

A 11-year-old boy plays with his father's phone outside school in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, June 17, 2024. (Emilio Morenatti / The Associated Press)

It has been one full month that Alberta schools have been operating with a mandate from the provincial government to restrict students' cell phone usage. 

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The provincial standard, a ministerial order from the education minister that took effect Sept. 1, prohibits students from using personal mobile devices during instructional time and social media apps while on school networks and devices. Quebec, Ontario, B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba have taken similar steps. 

CTV News Edmonton spoke with two families, as well as Edmonton's public and Catholic school divisions, about the change. They were mostly hopeful, if a little unconfident, about the long-term effects of the province's school cell phone ban.

The students 

"I've noticed that there's a lot less phone usage in class this year," Grade 11 Strathcona High School student Aurora Hartlen told CTV News Edmonton at the end of September. 

She believes the majority of students understand and are willing to comply with the rule – although there's definitely rulebreakers – but is frustrated that the provincial standard encapsulates devices like laptops and tablets, which can be used for learning. She saved up to buy her own laptop for high school. 

"We're relying on school Chromebooks, which are very slow and just not as nice," Aurora said. 

Both she and her sister, Brynn, a Grade 8 student at McKernan School, feel teachers are more strictly enforcing device policies this year. 

However, they say both of their schools have mostly left students responsible for following the rules – whether they store their phone during class in a pocket or locker – unlike some other classrooms in which teachers collect devices at the start of class. 

Neither expect big changes by June in their academic or social lives because of the cell phone ban, perhaps because their parents – former teachers – have already stressed that "school is first" and taken steps to limit cell phone usage at home. 

But neither fully agree, either, with the frequent criticism from older adults that kids are addicted to cell phones. 

For example, Brynn considers herself only a "little" addicted. She and her dad decided on a daily screen time limit of three hours. An app overseen by her parents renders her phone a brick once that limit is reached. 

"I just catch myself on my phone a lot," she said. "Just like, oh, I need to be doing work, not sitting there." 

Aurora says a balance needs to be found because society is increasingly technological and learning styles vary greatly within a student body. She finds listening to music helpful for focusing. 

"I think we should find a way to make it useful in classrooms, instead of just getting rid of it," she said. 

When asked how to do that, she admitted, "That I don't know. But I think just getting rid of it doesn't really solve any problems." 

The parents

Lindsay Priebe says a lot has changed since her first kids, who are now young adults, were getting cellphones as teenagers. 

Now, she considers herself more educated about the negative impacts of social media and the internet, from predators to comparison culture. 

"I didn't notice or see all the possibilities," she said. "I am the type of person who wants to trust that the world is generally a good place." 

Her youngest kids are in Grade 3 and Grade 5 in Fort Saskatchewan, so they are too young to have noticed much of a change in school this year. 

But she's grateful for the government stepping in, not only backing up her own intuition, but also creating a standard that she sees as an equalizer of parenting styles and economic classes. 

"My daughter… last year would be like, 'Oh, all of my friends have cell phones,'" Priebe said. "And I don't think this year it's even been commented on because they don't have them in class." 

Aurora and Brynn's mom, who spent some of her teaching years at an inner-city school, said she banned phones during class partially for this reason. 

"It was also just something to bring everyone on the same level in the classroom, because not everyone could afford to have a cellphone free for their child," Stephanie Hartlen told CTV News Edmonton. 

Speaking of the rules in their homes, both Priebe and the Hartlens expressed a desire to raise "well-rounded" children – by their definition: kids who have social skills, are responsible, and who avoid the internet's worst dangers. 

Stephanie hopes, over the course of the year, the school policies weaken her daughters' "dependency" on their phones. 

"But, it might have the reverse effect. Like, I haven't had this for seven hours; now I need it more once I'm out of school." 

Her husband thinks the success of having a provincial standard relies on educators across Alberta applying the rule in lockstep, which he considers a difficult task when schools are struggling with a lack of funds and space. 

"They're just trying to hold things together at the seams and then you give them this thing that they have to enforce when they're already battling so many other restrictions," Marshall Hartlen commented. 

"And, I think coming out of the pandemic, there are some real social issues in the schools that are not effectively addressed, like their mental health." 

The schools

So far, neither school division in Edmonton is reporting any challenges from meeting the provincial standard. 

"For us as a staff, it's actually been better having the ministerial order because it's the same everywhere," Nicole Falcone-Dempsey, Archbishop O'Leary Catholic High School's principal, said. 

"Because we had a policy, and maybe other schools didn't, that's where we had issues." 

So far, teachers have reported to her students are more engaged in class and with each other. 

Her school, like the Hartlen girls' schools, allows students to decide how they abide by the rules. 

Falcone-Dempsey attributed little pushback to the school having a device policy in place before this year, and lots of communication with families before classes resumed. 

"We tried to use the resources that came from the province and the ministry. Education is a big piece," the principal said. 

"There's more buy in because they understand the premise of it."

Both Edmonton Public Schools and the Alberta Teachers Association in statements echoed this, noting that in many schools, the provincial standard simply reinforced existing policies, and in others, standardized a minimum. 

The ATA said there is some "ironing out" to finish in the area of academic accommodation, such as whether a phone can be used for translation purposes with students who speak other languages. 

"The policy that was created reflects ATA policy and is meant to reduce bullying by students, address student distraction and mental health. We are pleased to see government address our concerns."

Schools have until Jan. 1 to finalize their own policies, if they want to implement rules beyond the provincial requirement. The ATA said the double deadline has not proven as much of a challenge as it first expected.