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Cellphone use in schools engagement

Parents and education partners helped shape restrictions on cellphone use and social media in K-12 schools.

Overview

We heard feedback from parents and education partners on the role cellphones should play in Alberta elementary, junior high and senior high schools.

Timeline

  • Open

  • Results under review

  • Completed

Who is listening

Ministry of Education

Get informed

Cellphones are an ever-present feature of our daily lives, and Alberta's classrooms are no exception. Cellphones can be used as research and learning tools, to stay up to date on practice or club schedules, and to keep in touch with family in case of emergency. But cellphones can also be a distraction within an educational environment and can sometimes be used inappropriately within a classroom or school.

In recent years, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Nova Scotia have all announced restrictions or bans on cellphone use in schools, with certain exceptions in place.

Input received

Online survey

More than 68,000 parents, teachers and school staff shared feedback on student cellphone use through an online survey between April 16 and May 3, 2024.

Stakeholder engagement

The Minister of Education met with Minister’s Youth Council in February 2024 to discuss several topics, including cellphone use in schools.

Education stakeholders were invited to participate in both the online survey and virtual engagement sessions that took place in April 2024.

Outcomes

Your feedback helped inform Ministerial Order 014/2014 establishing the Standards for the Use of Personal Mobile Devices and Social Media in Schools.

Resources

News