Smartphone-free classrooms?

More and more, our society is recognizing the toxic side of smartphones. Our attention spans are shorter. Our politics are more polarized. Our teenagers are suffering from a mental health crisis.

One way to address the issue is to kick smartphones out of elementary and high school classrooms where they are now ubiquitous. Roughly a decade ago, educators integrated tech into their classrooms to empower students to use modern tools. But research now shows that kids learn less with phones nearby. Also, things can get ugly when social lives orbit around devices.

Sachin Maharaj, an education professor at the University of Ottawa, wrote a fascinating essay for Maclean’s annual edition of the Year Ahead about how a growing number of school boards are restricting students’ smartphone use—and quickly seeing positive results. Teachers are experimenting with smartphone-free classrooms and even smartphone-free schoolyards.

It’s a trend Maharaj expects to see more of in the year to come–one of many trends outlined in Maclean’s Year Ahead issue that predicts what we can expect in 2024 in climate, housing, technology, culture and medicine, among other topics. It’s a must-read edition and your roadmap to the future.

—Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief

Chris Nuttall-Smith travelled cross-country to find Canada’s most delicious places to eat. Read his list of the country’s 20 most magical restaurants, from the tip of Vancouver Island to the edge of Newfoundland.

Dave and Elizabeth Brubaker became elite Canadian gymnastics coaches by pushing young girls to their limit. Their former athletes say the tough training was a cover for abuse. “A coach can have an overpowering influence on how a young athlete views herself and her self-worth,” wrote journalist Lauren McKeon in this feature for Maclean’s. “This dynamic leaves kids in an impossible position: even if they’re being mistreated, speaking up could risk everything they’ve worked for, including an identity formed around the sport.”

The Ontario Rental Registry, created by housing non-profit Vivre en Ville, allows users to disclose how much they pay for rent—and how much they've paid in the past—at any given address. Here’s what it means for renters across Canada.

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