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School Cellphone Bans in Canada: Every Province and Territory in 2026
Every Canadian province now restricts student cellphones. Quebec has the strictest rule, a full-day ban since September 2025. Ontario bans them all day for K-6 and in class for grades 7-12, and New Brunswick moves to full-day bans in 2026 and 2027.
Ontario was first, banning phones during instructional time in 2019, and it strengthened the rule from September 2024: students in kindergarten to grade 6 cannot use phones for the whole school day, students in grades 7 to 12 cannot use them in class, and social media is blocked on school networks. Quebec banned phones in classrooms in January 2024 and went further from 2025-26 with a full-day ban in every public and private elementary and secondary school, including breaks. Manitoba bans phones all day for K-8 and in class for grades 9-12 since September 2024.
Alberta has required phones to be off and stored during instructional time since September 2024. British Columbia requires every district to have a policy restricting personal devices, Saskatchewan bans phones in K-12 classrooms, Nova Scotia requires them to be off and out of sight in class, and Prince Edward Island bans them in classrooms. Newfoundland and Labrador, from January 2025, bars phones all day for K-6 and during class for grade 7 to Level 4. New Brunswick is moving to a full-day ban for K-8 from September 2026 and for grades 9-12 from February 2027. Yukon brings in a territory-wide policy for 2026-27. The Northwest Territories and Nunavut leave it to school boards.
The reasons governments give are consistent: students losing focus, the time teachers spend getting a class back after a notification, cyberbullying, and fights that start or spread online. Quebec's minister pointed to conflict and violence, and Manitoba cited the up to 20 minutes it can take a student to refocus. Enforcement is the hard part. Teachers in several provinces have said that a rule is only as good as the method for keeping phones put away, which is where lockable pouches come in.
We are a Toronto company, so Canadian schools are on our doorstep. Before The Internet sells lockable phone pouches to schools outright. You pay once, the pouches and unlocking bases belong to the school, and there is no subscription, lease or per-student annual licence. Send us your student numbers and any written quote you already have, and we will beat it. Students keep their own phones all day, the pouches do not block signal, and they tap the pouch on a magnetic base to open it at dismissal.
Frequently asked questions
Which province has the strictest school cellphone ban?
Quebec, which has banned phones for the whole school day, including breaks, in all elementary and secondary schools since September 2025. New Brunswick is moving to full-day bans in 2026 and 2027.
Are cellphones banned in Ontario schools?
Yes. Since September 2024, students in K-6 cannot use phones for the whole school day, and students in grades 7-12 cannot use them during class time, with exceptions for health, special education and teacher-directed learning.
Can Canadian schools buy phone pouches from a Canadian company?
Yes. Before The Internet is based in Toronto and sells lockable pouches to schools outright, with no subscription. Send your student numbers for a one-time quote within 24 hours.
Related reading
Ontario's school cellphone ban · Quebec's school cellphone ban · Buying vs renting school phone pouches
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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