✨ The Bold Question: Should Penticton Ban Smartphones in Schools?

In this video, Jordan West breaks down one of the most important decisions Penticton could make for its youth — whether schools should go fully phone-free until Grade 11, bringing back focus, real friendships, higher grades, and calmer classrooms.

Jordan — a former BC Ambulance Paramedic turned entrepreneur — walks through the research, the mental-health impact, the rise in anxiety and distraction, what other cities have already done, and a practical plan Penticton could adopt this year. From bullying to academic performance to social skills, the data paints a clear picture: a phone-free school day might be the simplest, highest-ROI change we could make for our kids.

👉 In this episode:

• Why smartphone addiction is harming focus, sleep, and mental health

• What actually happens when schools ban phones (real results from other cities)

• The rise in ADHD, anxiety, and comparison culture among youth

• How bullying and drama drop when phones are removed

• Flip phones vs. smartphones — and why safety isn’t compromised

• A step-by-step phone-free plan Penticton could roll out today

• How teachers recover weeks of learning time each year

• The community-wide benefits: calmer halls, more eye contact, happier kids

• Why the city, district, parents, RCMP, and PACs need to move together

• Jordan’s honest take on why this matters now more than ever

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📍 CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Why penticton should go ohone free at school

01:46 - Evidence Pack 1, Mental Health

03:50 - Evidence Pack 2, Academic & Focus

06:47 - Evidence Pack 3, Social Skills & Bullying

10:10 - Evidence pack 4, Comparable cities & Provinces

11:45 - Evidence Pack 5, Reality Check

12:25 - The Penticton Plan

12:32 - Bell to Bell Ban

13:25 - Flip phone option

14:04 - Parent Pact

14:27 - Teacher & Staff Allignment

14:49 - Yard Retrieval kit

15:24 - End Thoughts

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