Toronto's latest attempt to ban phones from its public schools is producing sharply different results depending on the age of the students involved.
A survey of 350 secondary and 892 elementary teachers across the Toronto District School Board found that elementary schools are largely following through on the 2024 policy, while high schools are struggling to make it stick. The research was conducted in collaboration with Elementary Teachers of Toronto and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation Toronto, and results have been submitted for presentation at academic conferences.
According to Phys.org, this is not the first time the TDSB has tried to restrict phones. A ban introduced in 2007 to combat student texting collapsed by 2011. A second attempt in 2019 produced the same outcome: inconsistent enforcement, unsupported teachers, and no real change in classroom behavior.
The 2024 policy is more specific. Students in Grade 6 and below must not access their phones at any point during the school day. Students in Grades 7 through 12 are barred from using phones during instructional time, and those who refuse to comply are supposed to be sent to the principal's office.
For elementary teachers, the policy appears to be working. More than 70 percent said rules were consistently enforced at their school, and 70 percent expressed satisfaction with how their school handled phone use. Only 25 percent reported significant difficulty enforcing the ban.
The picture in secondary schools is different. Only 44 percent of high school teachers said rules were consistently enforced, and 51 percent reported having a lot of difficulty with enforcement. Just 38 percent were satisfied with their school's approach.
Much of the gap traces back to a lack of support from parents and administrators. Twice as many secondary teachers reported feeling unsupported by parents compared to their elementary counterparts. Three times as many felt unsupported by school administrators.
One secondary teacher said many parents "want constant contact with their kids." Another said school administrators do not enforce the rules because they are "afraid of parental opposition."
The TDSB adopted the 2024 policy with a direct statement that phone use "appears to be creating significant harm to children and teens, in terms of mental health, well-being and academic success." Whether the policy can deliver on that concern in high schools remains unresolved. The researchers plan to submit the full findings for academic publication later this year.
