This article originally appeared in the Chronicle Herald.
By Paul W. Bennett, September 11, 2025
Nova Scotia’s experiment with restricting student cellphone use in K-12 classrooms has entered its second full school year. Launched in September 2024, the province-wide directive promised to restore classroom focus, strengthen peer connections and reduce the corrosive effects of constant digital distraction.
One year on, the results are decidedly mixed. While some administrators and government officials tout success, parents, students and teachers paint a more uneven picture, highlighting waning enforcement, persistent loopholes and ongoing struggles to keep phones out of daily school life.
Education Minister Brendan Maguire remains upbeat.
“From the feedback we heard from parents and teachers and some students, I think it was a big success,” he told Chronicle Herald reporter Jen Taplin, asserting that students are now “more social with each other” without screens on their desks.
Peter Day, president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, echoed this cautious optimism. He admits enforcement “grew lax” in some schools but sees the policy as a “start to a change of culture.” For Day, the measure of success lies in whether classrooms feel calmer and less dominated by phones, and early signs, he argues, are encouraging.
Unfiltered reports from parents and teachers suggest a messier reality. A Halifax mother told The Chronicle Herald that by Halloween the ban was already “pretty lax” and by January “almost nonexistent.” Teachers described frustration at being forced into the role of “cellphone police,” constantly overseeing compliance.
Some schools, however, have achieved strikingly positive outcomes. Halifax West High School reported stronger student interaction, fewer office referrals and more engaged discussions. One-day suspensions were initially used to deter repeat offenders, and several large high schools in HRM co-ordinated disciplinary measures to ensure consistency.
The lesson is clear: the ban’s success hinges on consistent, decisive leadership. Where principals back teachers with clear consequences, rules hold. Where vigilance falters, phones creep back into classrooms.
Data gaps and missing evidence
The Education and Early Childhood Development Department promises that under the newly revised Provincial Code of Conduct, data on infractions, suspensions and referrals will be collected this year. Until then, claims of success are largely anecdotal. Declaring victory without systematic evaluation is premature. Nova Scotia cannot afford another education policy launched with enthusiasm but quietly abandoned when results fall short.
Parent advocates now argue the ban is too soft. Jenna Poste of Unplugged Canada Nova Scotia points out that allowing phones during breaks undermines efforts to reduce digital dependency. True social interaction and healthier habits, she contends, require more than partial restrictions, they demand a genuine digital detox. Poste draws on international research and my July 2024 MLI report Weapons of Mass Distraction to push for stronger bans not only to improve attention but also to raise achievement levels. Halfway measures, she warns, risk losing the opportunity for real cultural change.
Nova Scotia’s policy is far from unique. Ontario’s 2019 restrictions faltered due to inconsistent enforcement. Quebec’s 2023 legislation imposed stricter bans, and France, the U.K., and some U.S. districts have adopted “bell to bell” prohibitions, banning phones entirely during the school day.
The OECD’s 2023 Students, Computers and Learning study found that students refraining from phone use in class scored significantly higher on assessments, particularly in mathematics. Against this backdrop, Nova Scotia’s compromise — tight rules in class but looser during breaks — appears cautious, even timid.
Parents are looking for direction. A 2025 Pollara Strategic Insights survey suggests 74 per cent of Nova Scotians support keeping phones out of classrooms, while a minority, mostly parents concerned about safety or tracking, want access. As a Lunenburg mother told Taplin, banning phones will never please everyone but is helpful in class, though it “doesn’t go far enough.” Policy makers face the challenge of balancing these competing concerns without sliding back into permissiveness.
A path forward
Nova Scotia’s cellphone restrictions will not stick without modifications. Tightening restrictions on social media access for children up to 16 years makes common sense. Consistency in school policy is crucial: strong leadership and uniform enforcement produce calmer classrooms and healthier interactions. Cultural change takes time and requires confronting digital dependency head-on.
If the province is serious about making the ban more than symbolic, three steps are essential:
- Adopt “bell to bell” restrictions: Tighten enforcement and close loopholes. Allowing phones during breaks and lunches undermines the policy’s intent.
- Collect and publish transparent data: Anecdotes must give way to evidence, including statistics on infractions, referrals and engagement.
- Learn from international benchmarks: Follow Quebec, France and the American “bell to bell” policy states, where comprehensive bans deliver measurable results.
Curbing excessive and unauthorized social media use in schools requires visible leadership, consistent monitoring and resolve. With clearer rules, firmer enforcement and honest evaluation, Nova Scotia can transform a tentative, cautious policy into a genuine turning point in the improvement of public education.
Paul W. Bennett is director of Schoolhouse Institute, senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and author of Weapons of Mass Distraction: Curbing Social Media Addiction and Reclaiming the Smartphone Generation (2024).
