Members of the media may directly contact:
Carole Fleuret (English and French)
Full Professor, Faculty of Education
[email protected]
"This is a poorly created ban because extremes are always dangerous. Students should instead be educated on how to use their phones and to develop critical judgment."
Sachin Maharaj (English only)
[email protected]
"There is increasing evidence globally that smartphone and social media use are harming the academic, social, and emotional development of children. Thus, the move by policymakers in Quebec to address this issue is a step in the right direction."
Joel Westheimer (English only)
Full Professor, Faculty of Education
[email protected]
"Research on cellphone use demonstrates the harm from social media use and there is evidence for the benefits of a ban for both social and cognitive development. But many students rely on social media (and their cellphones) for important social connections so you can’t just ban phones without replacing it with something else."
Tracy Vaillancourt (English only)
Full Professor, Faculty of Education, and Canada Research Chair in School-Based Mental Health and Violence Prevention.
[email protected]
Professor Vaillancourt can provide expertise on the link between social media use and social comparisons and how this affects mental health.