When I read that the government of François Legault had blocked a motion tabled in the National Assembly aimed not at prohibiting, but quite simply at regulating the use of cell phones in class1I almost fell over backwards, I was so discouraged and angry in front of so much recklessness or unconsciousness.
How can a government and its Minister of Education Bernard Drainville be so disconnected from reality? How can they be so ignorant of the many studies, trials, testimonials that demonstrate the negative impacts that cell phones and the world of screens in general have on the cognitive, psychological, social and of course physical development of children, adolescents and young people adults who use it compulsively, as is unfortunately too often the case in our society?
From the pen of Marie-Ève Fournier, The Press published on May 28 a file with the evocative title: “What is wrong with our children?2 The portrait that the journalist paints in it of the world of education is alarming and above all corroborates what others have said, written, explained at length and in depth in various books, magazine or newspaper articles about the pernicious and even deleterious presence of screens not only in the classroom, but in the everyday lives of these young students.
I am thinking, to give but a few examples, of the remarkable book by anthropologist Sherry Turkle entitled Eye to eye ; to that of psychologist Jean M. Twenge, whose title is internet generation ; to the sum of Michel Desmurget, The factory of the digital moron.
A few days ago, the Director of Public Health of the United States, in a 19-page report, also sounded the alarm about the negative impacts of digital and in particular social networks on the mental and physical health of young Americans. And all this without counting the many university studies that have demonstrated the pernicious effects of screens and cell phones in the classroom on students’ attention, retention of information and academic results.
The general finding that emerges from these studies is disturbing: the world of screens screens human relationships, true communication, the creation of authentic social ties and the development of empathy and maturity in these young people.
Overexposure to screens and omnipresence in “social” networks generates anxiety, depressive feelings, increases impulsivity, isolates individuals, greatly weakens them and diminishes their ability to pay attention. The overuse of screens also significantly affects the quality of sleep and the physical health of young people.
All of this has been documented for years. Already in 1995, Jean M. Twenge wrote in the aforementioned work that “the sudden and abrupt rise in depressive symptoms occurred almost at the time when smart phones became ubiquitous – i.e. at the turn of the years 2011-2012 – and when interactions have plummeted”. Elsewhere, she added that “iGen – the generation born from 1995 – are on the verge of the most serious mental health crisis seen in young people in decades”3.
The unanimous teachers
But all this data and these studies, the minister does not seem to want to consult them before making his decisions. He prefers to nod, rely on his “feeling”, his mood at the time, his personal tastes, his “felt” obviously not very scientific. A recent survey conducted by the Federation of Teachers’ Unions revealed that 92% of the 7,000 teachers surveyed would be in favor of a ban on cellphones in class, except in the case of certain educational projects. This near-unanimity, however, did not prevent the Legault government and its Minister of Education, he who boasted this week of going into the field and listening to the players in the education network, to reject out of hand this desire expressed by those who have to deal day after day with the perverse effects of these digital devices in the classroom.
Moreover, to discuss the presence or not of the cellular in class, it is unfortunately to concentrate on the tree which hides the forest.
The problem of digital and the world of screens goes far beyond what is played out in the classroom, because when young people walk through the doors of school, they have long since been laminated, formatted and even “zombified” by a whole world of applications. controlled by the Digital Lords.
It must be admitted: the omnipresence of screens has become a real public health problem in our society and requires without delay a global reflection which should lead to a real digital hygiene policy.
A few days ago, eminent researchers issued a warning against the “existential threat” that the uncontrolled development of artificial intelligence could pose. Some even spoke of a “risk of extinction for humanity3 “, nothing less !
Why don’t we hear such an urgent signal about the inhuman fate that digital and the world of screens are preparing for all these young people who serve as guinea pigs in this field? After all, they are still the ones who will make sure that humanity can have a future or not…
3. Jean M. Twenge, internet generation, Mardaga Edition, 2018, p. 134.