The New Brunswick government is putting cellphones and personal mobile devices away in classrooms this September, according to a Friday, August 28 gnb.ca news release out of Oromocto that Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Claire Johnson used to talk up learning and social connections.
“We know too much screen time and social media use negatively affects children and youth,” Johnson said. “That’s why we’re taking action to reduce distractions, limit exposure to social media sites and support the well-being of students.”
The province revised Policy 311 on Responsible Use of Digital Technology and introduced Policy 902 for child-care, and beginning this September kindergarten through Grade 8 students cannot use phones or other personal mobile devices at any point during the school day, with the same all-day rule hitting grades 9 through 12 at the start of second semester on February 1, 2027, though those students can still use personal tablets and laptops for educational work under Bring Your Own Device.
Personal mobile devices are also out at licensed child-care centres, where screen time is capped at 30 minutes or less with none for children two and under and it has to be educational and cannot happen during meals.
Social media sites will be restricted on school networks and school devices beginning in September, lining up with Ottawa’s proposed Safe Social Media Act.
“We’re looking forward to our schools being alive with the sounds of kids interacting with one another in class and between classes,” Johnson said, while Beauceron Security CEO David Shipley said early-learning limits protect brains when they are most vulnerable.
Parents fighting this at home will recognize the same tug of war next to Meta’s newspaper ads about teen safety caps, and Johnson pointed to similar policies in Ontario and Quebec.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
