How do you welcome the Republican bill and the expert report submitted to the Élysée, this Tuesday, April 30, 2024, who want to limit the use of screens among the youngest?
I have the impression that we are reinventing the powder: the scientific world has been warning about everything that has been said for a long time. But here, these proposals are only oriented towards mental health: they target an addiction, which remains marginal. The urgency is to take an interest in physical health. Screens are dangerous because of their impact on sedentary lifestyle, sleep and eating. And all this doesn’t just concern children: it’s parents who teach them the rules of prevention. It’s like brushing your teeth!
“It is not enough to make rules. For them to be respected, concrete proposals are needed. »
But how can health professionals and National Education contribute to disconnecting children, at their level?
We all need to clean our own doors. Indeed, health professionals and daycare providers must better warn of these dangers. And National Education must play its role in reducing social inequalities. Because the lower the social level, the more people are at risk. To eliminate this risk factor, it must inform by adapting to the modern world.
The experts’ conclusions encourage, in particular, to prohibit the use of screens for children under 3 years old, cell phones before 11 years old, etc.
We are taking the problem in the wrong direction by targeting children. We must inform parents by promoting health, using big slogans, such as “The smartphone kills”, and carry out prevention in small steps. Children are not responsible for their screen consumption and we cannot control giants like Apple and Google, who have enormous power to capture attention. It is not enough to make rules. For them to be respected, concrete proposals are needed.
Exactly. We asked 1,350 volunteers to reduce their screen consumption by one hour per day. And this had already led to real awareness: 75% of people had not succeeded. They realized that they were hyperconnected. At the same time, those who completed the challenge noticed a positive effect on physical health, they moved more. We see that this challenge is working, we have to push! Everyone can implement this in their family, their business, their club… It would be perfect to initiate prevention at the national level, and, what’s more, it doesn’t cost much. When the “Brest Challenge”, which encouraged people not to drink alcohol for three days, was launched (in 1984, Editor’s note), everyone laughed. Now, many practice “Dry January”.
