Ontario considering ban of cellphones on school property
Written by The Canadian Press on April 28, 2026
TORONTO — Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra says he is looking at a social media ban in schools and would like to go further than what Manitoba has planned.
Calandra says the province will be working closely with the federal government on a social media ban for kids under a certain age.
He also says he is considering implementing an “outright ban” of cellphones on school properties, with some medical exemptions.
At a press conference today in southwest Ontario, Calandra said most ministers of education across the country are in agreement that it has not been beneficial to allow students to have access to phones and social media in school.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew’s government recently announced that it plans to ban children from using social media accounts and artificial intelligence chatbots, starting in classrooms.
Federal Culture Minister Marc Miller has said the government is seriously considering a law enforcing age limits on social media use, as Australia has done.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2026.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press