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Screens: toddlers already addicted, a public health issue
A bill tabled on Monday April 8 in the Chamber proposes to regulate the screen time of young people. Today, young children are also affected by addiction to tablets, cell phones or TV.
(France 2)
A bill tabled on Monday April 8 in the Chamber proposes to regulate the screen time of young people. Today, young children are also affected by addiction to tablets, cell phones or TV.
Tablets, cell phones, television… Screens are everywhere, and some parents allow them from a very young age. “He watches ‘Peter Rabbit’ or ‘Tchoupi’, ten minutes, no more, per day”, explains the mother of a two and a half year old boy, who tolerates screens for her son, but limits their use. Most of the parents interviewed on Monday April 8 by France Télévisions say they are rather against screens for children before kindergarten.
Toddlers already affected by addiction
The doctors’ recommendation is clear: no screens before the age of 3, but the reality is very different. At 2 years old, children already spend 56 minutes a day in front of screens, and 1 hour 20 minutes at 3 and a half years old. This average hides more worrying cases.
At the Bondy hospital, in Seine-Saint-Denis, consultations are offered for the youngest screen addicts. “When I turned off the TV, he had unbelievable fits. That’s how we knew it wasn’t going well.”, remembers the mother of a little boy taken care of in this department. This dependence creates developmental delays. A bill tabled on Monday April 8 aims to regulate the use of screens in nurseries and among home childminders.
