As students across Canada return to school, a new survey brief from the Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University warns that despite record-high support for classroom cellphone bans, ineffective implementation of the rules are failing to keep devices out of students' hands.
The brief, tracking national attitudes on K-12 phone restrictions annually since provincial rollouts began in 2024, shows public support hitting an all-time high of 87 per cent in 2026. However, the data also highlights a stark divide between intention and reality: 50 per cent of parents report their child still uses a phone in class during a typical school week.
While every Canadian province has implemented restrictions to reduce screen time and improve mental health, the brief finds that effectiveness hinges entirely on the strength and clarity of policies.
Parents of students in schools with full-day "bell-to-bell" bans express far higher confidence in enforcement and report drastically lower in-class device use compared to those with partial restrictions.
Key Findings:
- Record public support: 87% of Canadians support restricting mobile devices in schools, with strong consensus shared equally between parents and the general public.
- Students are still using phones in class: 1 in 2 parents report their child used a phone during class at least once during a given week.
- Preferences for firm, clear rules: 87% of respondents prefer strict policy models, covering either the full school day or instructional time.
- An enforcement gap persists: Canadians remain divided on their attitudes toward policy enforcement, with 45% viewing existing rules as effective and 41% viewing them as ineffective.
- Bell-to-Bell advantage: Full-day restrictions yield significantly higher parental confidence in enforcement and lower reported student phone use than partial or instructional-only rules.
The full brief and data are available at dais.ca.
