Videotron and CIEL Launch a Guide to Support Quebec Families Giving Their Child a First Phone
Montreal, September 10, 2026 — Committed to the digital well-being of Quebec families, Videotron and the Centre pour l'intelligence émotionnelle en ligne (CIEL) are releasing First Cellphone, a free resource designed to give parents practical support as they prepare to give their child a phone.
While 61%* of mobile phones are given to young people with the intention of making it easier to stay in touch with their parents, they also provide access to social media, mobile games, messaging, and a wide range of content — uses that may call for greater guidance and oversight.
"The moment of buying a first phone is not one to take lightly. A young person now has access to the world — with all its opportunities, yes, but also all its risks. It is a pivotal moment, and parents deserve concrete, reliable guidance to navigate it. This guide is designed to make that conversation happen naturally and simply, as a family," said Emmanuelle Parent, PhD in Communication and co-founder of CIEL.
"As a key player in connectivity in Quebec, we want to help our customers develop healthy relationships with technology. First Cellphone embodies the spirit of our collaboration with CIEL: putting accessible, engaging, research-based resources in the hands of families at a defining moment in their digital journey," said Chantal Querry, General Director of marketing at Videotron.
A Comprehensive and Practical Resource
Aimed at parents of young people as well as any adult looking to build healthy digital habits as a family, First Cellphone takes an approach based on dialogue and research-based, organized around four complementary activities:
Let's Talk!: a family conversation activity in which parents and children take turns sharing their habits, expectations, and values around phone use.
Let’s Imagine...: real-life scenarios drawn from young people's everyday experiences, with concrete strategies for handling difficult situations encountered online.
The 5 Golden Rules: a process for establishing, as a family, a framework for phone use tailored to each household's reality, built on trust rather than control.
Activity Box: ideas for quality family time away from screens.
The booklet is paired with a comprehensive online guide featuring expert advice, tutorials, and activities such as the Digital Safety Challenge, which helps young people configure their social media privacy and security settings to navigate the web in an informed and safe way. The First Cellphone booklet is available free of charge at select Videotron stores; the full online guide can be accessed here.
Multiple Ways to Support Families
First Cellphone builds on a partnership between Videotron and CIEL launched in 2025, which has already given rise to several concrete initiatives in support of Quebec families. The two partners recently launched Pause qui peut, a six-episode podcast in which prominent Quebec personalities discuss digital balance. Participants include Jay Laliberté, Julie Ringuette, Pierre-Yves Lord, Bianca Gervais, Vanessa Pilon, Tatiana Polevoy, and Phil Branch.
Videotron and CIEL also offer families a range of other free resources, including a Digital Compass to spark family conversations about online habits, and educational video clips. A card game called Pause Jasette, designed to encourage intergenerational discussion about digital habits, has also been distributed in Videotron stores.
All available resources can be found at: www.videotron.com/en/partnerships/ciel.
* Based on a study by HabiloMédias (2022). Jeunes Canadiens dans un monde branché, phase IV : La vie en ligne. https://habilomedias.ca/sites/default/files/publication-report/full/life-online-report-fr-final-11-22.pdf
About CIEL
The Centre pour l’intelligence émotionnelle en ligne (CIEL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the digital well-being of children and teens. CIEL raises awareness and educates youth about digital issues through a nuanced approach and interactive workshops. Our program encourages healthy, informed navigation of digital tools and has already reached more than 50,000 young people. More information: leciel.ca.
About Videotron
Videotron, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in television, entertainment, Internet access, wireline telephone and mobile telephone services. As Canada's fourth wireless service provider, Videotron is a strong and highly competitive player, with 4,484,000 mobile subscriber connections as of June 30, 2026. Videotron is also a leader in new technologies with its Helix home entertainment and management platform. As of June 30, 2026, Videotron was serving 1,739,300 subscribers to its Internet services, 1,237,000 television customers as well as 523,500 to its wireline telephony service. Finally, Videotron has taken the coveted title of ‘’most respected telecommunications provider in Québec’’ for the 20th time since 2006, according to the 2026 Léger Reputation survey.
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