CAQ government rejects PQ motion to regulate cell phones in class

QUEBEC – On Tuesday, the CAQ government blocked a Parti Québécois motion calling for the use of cell phones in elementary and high school classrooms to be regulated.

The PQ MNA for Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé, who has a teaching background, wanted to ensure that this framework would be in place in time for the start of the next school year.

The motion he presented called on the National Assembly to express concern about the harmful effects of cell phones on student concentration and motivation.

It noted that other jurisdictions have adopted restrictive measures on cell phone use in schools and observed positive effects on student socialization.

These measures also help reduce bullying on social networks, reads the motion.

The text was presented jointly with the Liberal MNA for Saint-Laurent, Marwah Rizqy, the Solidarity MNA for Mercier, Ruba Ghazal, and the Independent MNA for Vaudreuil, Marie-Claude Nichols.

To win this support, the PQ had to delete the word “prohibit” and replace it with “supervise”.

Still, the government opposed the tabling of the motion through the voice of its deputy House leader, Mathieu Lévesque, who rose to declare, “No consent.”

Last month, 92 per cent of the 7,000 teachers surveyed by the Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement (FSE) said they supported a ban on cell phones in the classroom, except for certain pedagogical activities.

FSE president Josée Scalabrini had told Le Journal de Québec that teachers wanted to reduce classroom distractions, and that they were increasingly concerned about being filmed without their knowledge by students.

“It’s a struggle,” she said. “There were years when the fight was caps in class or gum in the mouth, now it’s cell phones.”

Education Minister Bernard Drainville has indicated in the past that he is “open to thinking” about a generalized ban.

In 2021, during the Consultation sur la santé des jeunes et l’utilisation des écrans, several experts had pointed out the harmful effects of screens on eyesight, sleep and weight.

But screens can also be good, they said. At school, for example, they make it possible to vary teaching approaches.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 30, 2023.