The Daily UbuntuThread 07 · Digital Solitude · September 25, 2026
Recess regained
Since 2024, cellphones have been banned in class in Quebec. Since September 2025, they have been banned throughout the school, to leave more room for one another.
1 · The scene
Noon, in a high school in Laval. Lockers slam; the phones stay inside. At first, Samuel didn't know what to do with his hands. He stared at the cafeteria ceiling waiting for the bell.
One Tuesday, a boy from his class puts a deck of cards on the table. "Do you know how to play crazy eights?" Samuel doesn't. They explain it to him, tease him kindly about his mistakes. Three weeks later, the table is full and he is the first to arrive.
Original vignette
2 · The documented case
The phone put away, the school regained
In the fall of 2023, Quebec's education minister issued a directive banning cellphones, earbuds and other personal devices in class in public schools. Schools had until December 31, 2023, to apply it, so the rule took effect in January 2024. Exceptions remain: when a teacher needs them for a project, for health reasons, or to support a student with a disability or learning difficulties.
The government document relied in particular on a survey by the Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement: more than 90% of the teachers consulted wanted the ban. Among the hoped-for benefits: fewer distractions, less cyberbullying, and more opportunities for young people to interact in person.
On May 1, 2025, Quebec announced it would go further. Since September 18, 2025, students can no longer use their phones in class, in the hallways or in the schoolyard. Some schools had already moved ahead. At Collège Trinité, in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, the administration found that students now spent the lunch hour outside, in the gym or in the library.
Ubuntu sees these rules less as a punishment than as an invitation: giving young people back time to look at one another, squabble, play and discover each other. It is in these ordinary moments that the "us" is born.
3 · The voice
“The gyms are full, and so is the library.”
4 · The question
What if, at your house too, one meal a day became screen-free, so that everyone had the chance to be truly seen?
Sources
- Government of Quebec, brief to the Cabinet on the directive concerning cellphones in class, October 3, 2023 (in French). cdn-contenu.quebec.ca
- Éducaloi, "Fin des cellulaires à l'école : ce que vous devez savoir," September 4, 2025 (in French). educaloi.qc.ca
- Les Versants, "Interdiction du cellulaire : pour une meilleure socialisation à l'école," May 13, 2025 (in French). www.versants.com
Every figure on this page links to a verifiable public source.
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