How Ontario's cellphone ban played in classrooms and politics episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 4, 2025 · 22 MIN

How Ontario's cellphone ban played in classrooms and politics

from This Matters · host Toronto Star

Guests: Toronto Star reporters Isabel Teotonio and Kristin Rushowy With the summer break, Ontario is wrapping up the first full school year under new cellphone restrictions. Last September, the Ford government introduced restrictions on personal mobile devices in schools, with boards required to update their own policies and ban social media sites, such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, from networks and devices. Other provinces have followed suit. But the results have been mixed, and students can still access those sites using personal data. Some teachers did see students more focused and present. Others are still in a constant battle for their attention. So, did the cellphone ban really change anything?  This Matters speaks to Toronto Star reporters Isabel Teotonio and Kristin Rushowy. One's been hearing from teachers and students in classrooms. The other's been tracking the political story behind the policy. Audio sources: CBC News, Isabel Teotonio  Produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 4, 2025

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

How Ontario's cellphone ban played in classrooms and politics

0:00 22:20

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of This Matters?

This episode is 22 minutes long.

When was this This Matters episode published?

This episode was published on July 4, 2025.

Can I download this This Matters episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!