A motion will go before the Vancouver School Board Monday evening to restrict the use of personal digital devices like cellphones in schools.
In January, the province announced it was taking steps to restrict cellphones in all B.C. schools. It said it would work with school districts to ensure they have updated policies for the start of the new school year.
The proposed motion, which has been put forward by school board chair Victoria Jung, would direct the superintendent to update the district’s codes of conduct.
“The Vancouver School Board has a responsibility to deliver healthy and safe learning environments for students and educators,” Jung said in a release.
“[This] motion is about taking a next step towards supporting digital well-being.”
It also calls for the superintendent to create a working group tasked with examining and reviewing the new rules and their impact over the next school year.
While the school board motion said digital literacy skills are important, it said they also create challenges.
“The overuse of electronic devices, particularly cellphones, among our younger students has been associated with distractions, setbacks in social development, and hindrances to academic performance,” reads the motion.
It sets a deadline for an updated code of conduct with new guidelines on personal digital device use by July 1, 2024.
Similar bans were adopted by Quebec in 2023 and Ontario in 2019.
January’s announcement was also grouped with government actions aimed at protecting youth and children from online harm. It included a process for removing images from the internet and pursuing online predators, as well as new legislation to hold social media companies accountable for any harm they may have caused.
Last week, the province said it’s putting its proposed online harms legislation on hold after reaching an agreement with some of the largest social media platforms to increase safety online.