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Newfoundland and Labrador's School Cellphone Ban: What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Yes. Since 6 January 2025, NLSchools policy bars K-6 students from using personal electronic devices during school hours. Students from Grade 7 to Level IV must switch them off and store them out of sight during class, but may use them at recess and lunch.
The Responsible Student Use of Personal Electronic Devices Policy took effect on 6 January 2025. K-6 students are encouraged not to bring devices and cannot use them during school hours. From Grade 7 to Level IV, devices must be switched off and stored out of sight during instructional hours, with use allowed at recess and lunch. Individual exemptions are available for medical and educational reasons.
Before 2025, only K-6 classroom use was restricted under the NLSchools technology policy. In August 2024 the government said it was drafting tougher rules. Over 13,000 people took part in consultation, about 40% of them students, and the final policy announced on 17 December 2024 was softer than the draft. No change was found for 2025-26 or 2026-27.
Schools apply the rule through NLSchools, the provincial school district. Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell linked phones in class to anxiety, bullying and distraction. Storage is left to schools, as long as secondary students' devices are off and out of sight in class. Exemptions are granted case by case for medical and learning needs.
Whatever the NL policy requires, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so the school does not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable pouches and unlocking bases from Toronto to schools across Canada, including in Newfoundland and Labrador, and can print the school's crest on them. Schools buy them outright: one price, no subscription, lease or per-student annual licence. Send us your student numbers and any written quote you have, and we will beat it.
Frequently asked questions
Can high school students use phones at lunch?
Yes. Students from Grade 7 to Level IV may use devices at recess and lunch, but must switch them off and store them out of sight in class.
Can K-6 students bring phones to school?
They are encouraged not to. If they do, they cannot use them during school hours.
Are there exemptions?
Yes. Individual exemptions are available for medical and educational reasons.
Related reading
School cellphone bans in Canada · Phone-free schools toolkit · Bell-to-bell school phone policy template
Written by the team at Before The Internet, a Toronto-based phone-free company that rents lockable phone pouches for events across North America and sells them to schools and venues worldwide, shipping purchases to any country.
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