British Columbia is moving to restrict the use of cellphones in schools as part of measures Premier David Eby says will help protect young people from online threats.
Eby said the government will also launch a service to remove intimate images from the internet and "pursue predators," as well as introduce legislation to hold social media companies accountable for harms they have caused.
A statement from the province said all schools would have policies in place to restrict students’ classroom cellphone use by the start of the next school year.
It said it would work with school districts to make sure that happens.
The statement also said two new services will start next week to help people stop or prevent distribution online of explicit images of them without their consent and to pursue damages from the predators.
Attorney General Niki Sharma said the services would help people, especially young adults, get their private images taken down from websites.
The statement said the services would “improve access to justice and offer a clear path to legal action.”
“Technology can be an extremely useful tool, but when used by bad actors it can have devastating impacts on people’s lives,” Sharma said in the statement.
“That’s why we are providing supports for people, especially young adults, to take down their private images from websites and pursue damages against predators.”
Legislation designed to hold companies accountable for harm caused to the public would be coming in the spring, the statement said.
The law would allow the government to “recover costs” associated with online harm.
“The government could use those recovered funds to provide treatment and counselling programs and put in place monitoring systems and educational programs about the harms of using these products and services,” the statement said.
Education Minister Rachna Singh said cellphones in the classroom can distract children from “focused learning” in school.
“There also is a time and a place for cellphones, including when they support student accessibility purposes,” she said.
“By learning in a safe school environment how to use their cellphones responsibly and respectfully, including when to put them away, students will be better able to develop healthy habits around technology and social media use in their everyday lives.”
The measures come after Eby said last month that the government was planning changes this year to honour the memory of Carson Cleland of Prince George who police said died in October after being sexually victimized online.
Eby said he spoke with Carson’s father, Ryan Cleland, who told him that parents of Carson’s classmates said their children were also talking online with strangers.
Mounties in Prince George issued a statement in November, more than six weeks after Carson died, warning parents about the risks youth face on the internet.
The statement said officers went to the boy’s home on Oct. 12 and found him with a gunshot wound, and their investigation later determined he killed himself as a result of online sextortion.
Also in November, Kelowna RCMP said it had received more than 100 reports of sextortion, with the victims usually teenagers.
“Our children are increasingly using various online and texting apps including gaming, where they can communicate with people they may not know,” they explained.
BC United Leader Kevin Falcon, who has called for a ban on cellphones in classrooms, said earlier this month that the NDP had "failed to act" on the file.
"Let’s get this done now so students’ focus can return to their studies, not their screens," he said, repeating his call for a prohibition.
Also earlier this month, two Okanagan superintendents said there was no need to ban phones.
Kevin Kaardal, School District 23's chief, said there are already policies in place to deal with phones.
“Teachers can make decisions in their classrooms,” he said. “They can put them in caddies, or they can say, ‘We’re going to use them today -- please go to this website.”
Todd Manuel – in charge of School District 67, covering Penticton and Summerland – said a cell ban would only impact high school students, as there’s already one in place for elementary and middle schools.
“At secondary schools, our administrators and teachers have discretion of providing direction to students as to when they may use their phones during instructional time,” he explained.
“There may be times that secondary teachers allow students to access their phones as part of particular lessons, research or learning activities.”
But Eby disagrees, saying phones "present risks that can harm kids."
He said: "Today, kids live with different challenges than they did a generation ago, and they face them all in the palm of their hand."
The premier added: "The impact and influence of these tools is so great, and the corporations so powerful, it can be overwhelming for parents. That's why we are taking action to protect kids from the threats posed by online predators and the impacts of social media companies."
