Former N.B. education minister regrets not banning cellphones in school
Education department says it's working on updates to cellphone policy
Former education minister Dominic Cardy regrets not banning cellphones in schools before he quit the job in protest in 2022.
In a post on X last week, he called it his "one big regret" as minister.
"I thought we needed to teach students to handle these incredible tools. I was wrong. They're a gift and a threat to all of us but, coupled [with a] decline in discipline, they're destroying classrooms."
When he was minister, Cardy said the evidence was more positive about cellphones and how they gave students "this incredible technology, which you can find every single thing that's ever happened to anyone, ever — all there, as far as the student was concerned, for free in their hands."
He said the evidence is now more clear that cellphones are a danger and a distraction for students.
Cardy said attention spans have dropped "from close to half an hour to under two minutes according to some studies — and 30 seconds according to others."
He said teachers "are recording over 300 interruptions per class per period" caused by cellphone notifications.
Then there are the well-documented dangers to students' mental health.
An
official with the Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development says it's 'working on updates to Policy 311 to address
cellphone use in a more stringent way.' (Martin Diotte/CBC)
Cardy said there are "real dangers" caused by "other students being awful to them, adults being awful to them, the cyberbullying that we've heard a lot about, which disrupts learning."
He said social media has become a toxic place where companies and foreign governments "are intentionally pushing all sorts of rubbish into our phones, which our students are absorbing as well."
He said adults are having a difficult enough time distinguishing between real and fake posts, so how can children be expected to sort it all out.
Not to mention the algorithms that deliberately push viewers in a certain direction.
"And they're doing it to make money," said Cardy. "So we should not be using our public school system as a place to further enhance the vast profitability of American and Chinese social media companies, especially when they're causing us broader social damage."
N.B. updating cellphone policy
If he were still education minister, Cardy said he would follow the example of other school jurisdictions in Canada and ban cellphones— particularly for younger students.
New Brunswick appears to be considering it.
When asked directly if the province is considering a ban, the education department's communications officer said in an email, "The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has been working on updates to Policy 311 to address cellphone use in a more stringent way. The department will be bringing forward those modifications in the coming weeks."
Dominic Cardy says students are getting distracted and exposed to dangers because of their constant cellphone use. (Martin Diotte/CBC)
Cardy said parents are also contributing to the problem.
"We have got parents who think they have the right to call their kids during class all day, who called the teachers during class. There are disruptions going on that are being caused by the families in addition to the kids' friends and outside sources."
He said it's a "social change" that society has allowed to slide in alongside technology.
"So let's have a timeout to figure out how we can use cellphones appropriately, and I think as a starting point should be how we use them as adults. And then we figure out how they can be used in the classroom."
Obviously, he said there will be exceptions — like for a student who uses technology to monitor health issues.
"But the vast majority of kids did manage to survive infancy, adolescence and all the way up to high school without being in constant touch with everyone — up till about 10 years ago.
"So I would bet, based on the entire history of the human race up to about 2012 versus now, we can probably get away with being in slightly less constant touch with each other without society falling apart."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Information Morning Fredericton
Kyle Woodman
How about teaching kids how to recognise clickbait and disinformation? That would actually be useful in life.
Reply by William Murdoch.
Why?
Reply by David Amos.
Why not?
Reply by William Murdoch.
Because. Just because.
Reply by G. Timothy Walton.
Why how?
Reply by David Amos.
Perhaps we should seek counsel from the democracy expert
Comment by William Murdoch.
Give the guy a break - all you parents of the children where a new school now stands.
Comment by David Amos.
Methinks his biggest regret should be sending me butter tarts N'esy Pas?
Reply by William Murdoch.
Did they list Pecans in the ingredient list?
Reply by David Amos.
Ask Cardy
Reply by Harvey York.
Why would he regret that? It's been consistent source of entertainment for the rest of us. The gift that keeps on giving!
Reply by David Amos.
I enjoyed it too
Reply by Harvey York.
No doubt you did. Admit it, you're deeply in love with him.
Reply by David Amos.
I have no doubt you are because I suspect you are him
Comment by Laura Smith.
Did he do anything while he was Minister of Education? Besides complain about Higgs?
Reply by William Murdoch.
He worked with what's her name to set back vaccinations 50 years.
Reply by Ralph Skavinsky.
He was the who first told us of the impending pandemic and Higgs acknowledged that...a very smart move
Reply by David Amos.
I recall them doing a chicken dance together as Higgy called a snap election that nobody wanted
Reply by David Amos.
He had to talk Louie into it first
Reply by William Murdoch.
Told "us". Really?
Reply by Laura Smith.
If it were a vaccination, it would have eliminated COVID before 2021 ended.
Reply by William Murdoch.
That's why they are JABS - not vaccines.
Reply by Ralph Skavinsky.
Okay..if you like..he made us aware...
Reply by William Murdoch.
He is responsible for saying that the entire "Science Respects Borders" was nonsense.
Comment by Max Ruby.
Just let them use the phone at lunch and recess like they do now anyway. Didn't Cardy know that?
Reply by William Murdoch.
Cardy. Cardy Who?
Reply by David Amos.
He is a democracy expert
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/ndp-gets-help-from-democracy-expert-1.629834
Reply by David Amos.
Didn't he buy the kids a pile of laptops? I bet a lot of them are being used to make phone calls through FB
Reply by William Murdoch.
Phone Calls Through FB - Classic.
Reply by William Murdoch.
Why is your link still up?
Reply by David Amos.
Yup You are in it
Reply by William Murdoch.
In what?
Reply by David Amos.
The blog
Reply by William Murdoch.
I am in the blog that your link shows?
Reply by William Murdoch.
After election day, Dominic Cardy is flying back home to his wife in Kathmandu, Nepal. He hopes to leave behind a new Member of Parliament for Fredericton, his friend John Carty for the NDP.
Reply by David Amos.
Bingo
Reply by David Amos.
Did ya notice who else was running?
Comment by William Murdoch.
Flip Phone with No Data and with Text Block.
You can call me on my Cell Phone !
Comment by Daniel Henwell.
Everybody has phones in 2024. Even little kids. They are part of life and you cannot pry them away from (especially) young people.
Reply by Stan Nova.
pry? just no phones in classroom, like not that hard to do, i bet most parents be happy about that
Reply by SarahRose Werner.
Except the ones who think they have a "right" to call their kids while the kids are in class.
Reply by Stan Nova.
yeah well its not up to them is it ? its up to the school, they have school codes, so no classroom phones, it hasn't been that long when that was normal
Reply by William Murdoch.
No "everybody" doesn't have cell phones.
Reply by William Murdoch.
You be up against a long time commenter there.
Reply by William Murdoch.
And how about some UPPER CASE
Reply by Ralph Skavinsky.
..or they should be
Comment by Hugh MacDonald.
Most people, including students, are prisoners of their phones, That's why they're called cellphones.
Reply by David Amos.
Well put
Comment by Le Wier.
I think the rules on cellphones in schools shifted during covid when students were asked to bring their own electronic devices to school as the districts moved towards a more collaborative and personal technology based learning model. I think I remember Cardy D supported the use of a cellphone as an electronic device at the time.
Reply by David Amos.
C'est Vrai
Reply by William Murdoch.
I thought that schools were shuttered and at-home learning was where it was at.
Comment by Ralph Skavinsky.
Good thought Mr Cardy...I wish you had too. However, i believe it will happen soon. I wish you well in your latest endeavor.
Reply by William Murdoch.
So no UPPER CASE from you too?
Reply by David Amos.
Surely you jest
Comment by Lee Bronson.
I've heard from dozens of educators that cellphones are useful classroom tools and it's essential that all students have one at all time of the school day.
Reply by Bob de trelleg.
No, they are not essential. Many of us made our way through schools without them!
Reply by Ralph Skavinsky.
If parents need to speak with a child it should only be as an urgent situation in which they can continues the school
Reply by SW Home.
Didn't really have much of a choice since they were not invented yet. Cell phones are important part of daily life now. Schools are behind the times by not teaching students useful things to help in their daily lives. Instead they are taught how to square dance and play Hot Cross Buns on the Recorder.
Reply by Le Wier.
I think parents got used to texting their children throughout the day during Covid and online home schooling, and it became the norm for many.
Comment by Benoit Boudreau.
Whatever happened to that political party he had started up?
Reply by David Amos.
Ask Ric
Reply by William Murdoch.
No more according social media. My Uncle she told me that.
Comment by Denis Van Humbeck.
Never too late for the ban. All students who have a cell phone should have to give their at the school door as soon as the enter and then pick up their phone when they leave the building.
Reply by Harvey York.
I whole heartedly agree with you. Helicopter parents probably wouldn't though...
Reply by David Amos.
I bet your buddy is happy you posted that