Phones Archives - Muskoka411

Classroom Ban Won’t Address Escalating Mobile Device Addiction

Muskoka411 Staff — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 18:02:57 +0000

Education and Awareness Urgently Required for Children and Families

TORONTO, Sept. 3, 2024 /CNW/ – With provincial cellphone bans being implemented across Canada this week, Women’s Brain Health Initiative (WBHI) President and CEO Lynn Posluns is calling for more urgent, comprehensive education and awareness measures for children and families to address escalating mobile device addiction.

While we know that social media and screens can be helpful tools if used correctly, too much screen time or bad influences on social media can harm a developing brain – whether it’s inside or outside of the classroom.

WBHI is releasing a video series this month that every parent with school-age children will want to view with their kids that features Canadian children talking candidly about the harm mobile device addiction is creating for them, their friends, and their brains. A link to a special preview video has been included with this release.

Statement from Women’s Brain Health Initiative President and CEO, Lynn Posluns

While Women’s Brain Health Initiative welcomes new provincial policies across Canada banning cellphones from classrooms, nobody should be under any illusion that these measures alone will address the national children’s brain health crisis that is mobile device addiction.

Until we fully educate students about the harms of excessive cellphone use and provide them and their parents with tools to sustain awareness at home, children will continue to overuse technology which we know is causing sleep deprivation and long-term negative effects on their brains.

In addition to more effective classroom programs to create this awareness and support existing curriculums, education and public health leaders need to support safe platforms for students to be a more significant part of the urgent national conversation we require.

WBHI is not waiting for governments to act.

Through our successful Brainable classroom program, WBHI has identified a dozen grade seven and eight student leaders who have started this critical conversation. By sharing their stories and some potential solutions, these children demonstrate that they are aware of their addiction and understand the need to change their behaviour.

We hope our leaders listen to these children who are crying out for help. If they listen, we are confident they will quickly understand that a simple cellphone ban won’t do much to protect children’s brain health. A more thoughtful and comprehensive approach is required – fast!

A link to the preview video can be found here.

Brainable is a program for students and educators that provides teaching tools to help reverse current trends and increase awareness of effective strategies to reduce excess screen time, increase sleep time, and promote physical activity. For more information visit brainable.ca.

SOURCE Women’s Brain Health Initiative (WBHI)

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Ontario Students Going Back-To-Basics With Fewer Distractions This Fall

News Room — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 13:21:10 +0000

The Ontario government is investing $47.5 million to support safe and healthy learning, along with implementing the most comprehensive plan in Canada to restrict student use of cellphones and ban vaping in schools. By removing distractions, students can focus their attention on academic achievement, which will include modernized courses in business and career studies, and technological education.

“With their constant stream of notifications and pings, it’s no surprise to anyone that cellphones constantly grab our attention. This is why it was necessary to restrict cellphones in the classroom and enable students to restore focus on learning so they can achieve better academic outcomes,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education. “This school year is shaping up to be the first in years without the threat of pandemic disruptions or negotiations with teachers’ unions. We’re excited for the year ahead where students can look forward to uninterrupted learning, extra-curriculars and a back-to-basics, modernized curriculum that will set them up for success.”

The new provincewide measures are taking effect on September 1, 2024 to directly counter the alarming rise of vaping and cellphone distractions in schools. The new rules will help combat the negative impact mobile devices, social media and vaping are having on academic achievement, mental health and physical well-being.

The government is investing $47.5 million to support the implementation of the new rules, including:

$15 million to support the expansion of programs that offer direct supports for students who are at risk of substance use and addictive behaviours
$1 million to School Mental Health Ontario to develop webinars and resources for parents and students to learn how to talk about the adverse effects of vaping and excessive cellphone usage
$1.5 million for school boards to work with their parent involvement committees to enable parents and community partners to run grassroots campaigns to deter vaping and cellphone distractions
Further, as announced in Budget 2024, $30 million to school boards for vape detectors and other security upgrades in schools

“By banning vaping in schools, our government is setting students up for success and prioritizing their health and well-being inside and outside the classroom,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier, Minister of Health and MPP for Dufferin-Caledon. “We are also reminding parents to keep their kids up to date on all routine vaccinations this school year to ensure our schools and communities remain safe for everyone.”

Beginning this fall, there will be a new graduation requirement and several new courses for Grade 9 and 10 students as the government continues to modernize the curriculum:

Grade 9 students will be required to earn a Grade 9 or 10 Technological Education credit as part of their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. These courses will allow students to explore and apply fundamental technological concepts as well as the engineering design process.
Two experiential courses in Business Studies for students in Grades 9 and 10 will help students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, learn the importance of taking initiative, find creative solutions to issues as well as learn how to start and run a business.
For Grade 10 students, mandatory learning on mental health literacy has been expanded in the Career Studies course. Students will learn how to recognize the signs of being overwhelmed as well as where to find help locally when needed.

The government has also made a historic $16 billion investment to support school construction, renewal and improvement over 10 years. Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested more than $3.6 billion in capital construction projects in education, including 139 new schools, 109 additions and renovations to existing facilities, creating more than 98,000 student spaces and over 8,000 new licensed child care spaces.

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Feds Say They Delivered On Commitment to Reduce Phone Wireless Plans By 25 Per Cent

Muskoka411 Staff — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 20:35:23 +0000

Reductions were achieved across the country three months before the target date

Canadians are more connected than ever before. They rely daily on telecommunications services to work, study, shop and play. Access to affordable high-quality services is essential in their day-to-day life.

The Government of Canada has introduced aggressive measures to reduce the cost of wireless services.

The commitment made in March 2020 to track and reduce the costs of mid-range wireless plans by 25% over two years is a central part of these efforts.

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced that the government has met its target three months ahead of schedule. Prices for all tracked mid-range plans have decreased by 25% compared to the benchmark prices collected in early 2020, according to the newly published data for the latest quarter of wireless pricing, which cover the period from October to December 2021.

The government’s policies to promote competition have contributed to better prices for consumers. Steps taken to enhance competition include, among others:

setting out pro-competition rules for the 600 MHz band spectrum auction that led to regional providers more than doubling their share of low-band spectrum
issuing a policy direction to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that requires the Commission to consider how its decisions can promote competition, affordability, consumer interests and innovation
reserving 50 MHz in the 3500 MHz spectrum auction for small and regional telecom companies
regulating roaming rates through the CRTC to help small and regional telecom companies compete via access to incumbent networks in certain circumstances

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