New Brunswick’s child and youth advocate has suggested the province join others in Canada in removing cellphones from classrooms, warning that the use of the devices inhibits students’ ability to analyze and make detailed arguments.
Kelly Lamrock made the comments last week at a legislative committee, partly attributing cellphone and social media use to the deteriorating mental health of children.
“I’m even noticing in classes I teach or sometimes volunteer as a debate coach, the ability to make longer arguments is diminishing greatly among young people … I think that’s sort of social media habit,” he told the committee.
Over the past five years, he said, the number of children in New Brunswick seeking urgent medical care for depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation has gone up between 28 and 40 per cent. He suggested the decline in health among youth can be linked to what they are being exposed to online.
“How many children today are processing really terrifying and worrisome world events, sitting up at 2 a.m. with their phone in their hand with sources of information who may not be good-faith actors,” Lamrock said. “They see tons of conflict, very little arbitration explanation.”
Progressive Conservative member Dorothy Shephard asked Lamrock what role he thought government had to play in regulating what children see on their phones.
The federal government could regulate such things as algorithms — systems that govern what content is displayed on social media sites — and the province could ensure students are taught how algorithms work, Lamrock said.
Algorithms, he added, draw students and adults into “rabbit holes,” feeding them content they think someone would be interested in because of a link they clicked.
“If you actually search a video on dog ownership and click on one about somebody crying about their dog dying, you will receive nothing on TikTok but dog dying videos and recommendations,” Lamrock said. “You can actually go into a two-hour rabbit hole that’s not good for your mental health.”
Chris Collins, executive director for Canadian Parents for French, New Brunswick, said his group would support restricting cellphone access in schools, as long as the policy goes through a “proper” consultation process.
“Cellphones are a massive benefit from a convenience perspective, but they need to be regulated in schools,” Collins said. “It’ll be a tough adjustment for a while … But we have to regulate it with education in mind, with the social aspects and the negative implications of cellphone use in schools as well.”
Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario already restrict access to cellphones in schools. Other countries such as China and France have banned cellphone use on school grounds, while the United Kingdom, Italy and Portugal have guidelines for principals who want to stop or limit the use of the devices.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2024.