establishing a consensus on their use remains complex

During his press conference at the Elysée on Tuesday evening, the head of state called for measures to regain “control of our screens” and their use by children. Recently appointed experts are due to submit their first work on the issue at the end of March.

How can we better regulate access to screens for young people? This is a question that Emmanuel Macron raised on Tuesday January 16 during his press conference. A committee has just been appointed by the President of the Republic to work on the subject and it has two months to deliver its conclusions.

This committee is made up of 10 experts. Psychiatrist, neurologist, specialists in education or the digital industry, the task of the working group is to establish a summary of the impact of screens on the health of under-18s, to evaluate the effectiveness of existing regulatory systems (such as parental control) and to propose by the end of March a scientific consensus on the proper use of screens. Remember that in France, the use of video games is worrying for one in eight adolescents and that at 15 years old, 5% of boys and 11% of girls have problematic use of social networks.

The impact of screens depends on many factors

There have already been a huge number of studies on the impact of screens. But establishing a consensus on their use remains complicated because even if the studies are numerous, their conclusions are often nuanced and the subject complex. The impact of screens does not only depend on age, or the number of hours of use. The question of content and support for digital uses by adults are also factors to take into account. However, there is already consensus on certain points, notably the fact that excessive screen time before the age of 10 can harm language acquisition, concentration, or certain learning when this screen time encroaches too much on others. activities such as reading, games, family discussions, sleeping or sports.

While awaiting new recommendations, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that parents prohibit children from using screens before three years of age and limit use to one hour per day before five years of age. Furthermore, experts all agree to prohibit the use of screens at the table, in the bedroom and one hour before falling asleep. The High Council for Public Health considers that it is also necessary for the use of digital tools to be compatible with at least two hours of daily outdoor activity. Finally, it is recommended that parents remain alert to the occurrence of disorders, such as headaches, drowsiness, decline in grades at school, anxiety, or aggressiveness. This can sometimes be a sign of problematic screen use.