The Academy of Medicine has published a report in which it points to the misuse of screens by the youngest. While it advises against their use by children under 3 years of age, it advises older children to wear anti-blue light glasses to limit their deleterious effects.
Children under the age of three should not be exposed to screens. For the older ones, screen time must be measured with a certain number of hours per week, depending on their age. But in practice, children are often placed in front of a screen from the earliest years. As for the older ones, they quickly become digital experts. At a time when TV, tablets, computers and mobile phones govern our daily lives, how do we set the right limits as they grow up? What are the effects on their development and visual health? What do health professionals recommend? Here are the tools to know, in substance and in form, how to support your child in front of the screens.
How much time do children spend on screens?
Between 2011 and 2022, the time spent on screens by children has continued to increase, the web is now preferred to television according to Ipsos. A study, conducted in collaboration with Bayard/Milan and Unique Heritage Media, reveals that the increase in time spent per week in front of TV, the web and video games combined concerns all children, from the youngest to the oldest.
- For 1-6 year olds: weekly internet screen time is 6 hours
- For 7-12 year olds : the weekly screen time on the internet is 9 hours
- For 13-19 year olds: weekly internet screen time is 18 hours
Screen time by age: the 3-6-9-12 rule
To help parents see things more clearly, Serge Tisseron proposed in 2008 the “3-6-9-12” rule, a rule relayed by the French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics (Apa). The latter is quite easy to remember and gives us important points of reference:
“Electromagnetic waves would alter the development of memory, attention and coordination in young children”.
No screen before 3 years!
The child first needs to set up his spatial and temporal landmarks through stories told to him and games without a screen. Moreover, no television program is really suitable for this age, according to Afpa, which recalls that several studies show that “electromagnetic waves would alter the development of memory, attention and coordination in young children“. We therefore avoid television and DVDs as much as possible. Touch tablets can be used exceptionally from the age of 2 and a half, but in the presence of the parents and with the aim of playing together.
Before 6 years old: no game console until the child can read
At this age, the child learns to develop his imagination through crafts, crafts and games without a screen. So avoid the television and the computer in their room, set screen time for him (very limited) and make sure he respects the ages indicated on the programs. Occasionally, computers and home consoles can be a support for family games, or even accompanied learning.
Before the age of 9, no Internet alone, then accompanied until entering college
Supporting children on the Internet not only avoids dangers, it also helps them assimilate essential rules (distinction between private and public space, image rights, e-reputation, false information, etc.) so that he can thwart the traps of the web. Set limits for it: install screens in the living room, establish clear rules on screen time, configure the living room console, set a parental code…
From 12 years old, Internet only, but with caution
Define usage rules, browsing schedules, install parental controls and turn off wifi at night. Discuss with your child downloading, plagiarism, pornography, cyberbullying… Serge Tisseron also reminds that before the age of 12, the child must not be registered on a social network (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat. ..). Finally, from college, the desire to own a laptop is strong, it’s up to you to decide from what age you want to offer him a phone. However, it is better not to start with a smartphone and prefer blocked packages to limit it.
| Age | CSA Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Under 3 years old | Be sure to shield your child from screens as much as possible. A golden rule: no screen before 3 years! |
| From 3 to 8 years old | Give preference to suitable programs over a limited time: favor short viewing sessions and no more than 30 to 40 minutes per day. |
| From the age of 8 | Accompany your child in the discovery of screens. No more1 hour per day in front of a screen, all media combined. |
Exposure to screens in children: what recommendations?
Recommendations of the High Council for Public Health
- The ban on screens before the age of three. Babies should also not be exposed to a screen, by being installed in front of the television on for example, to serve as a distraction.
- Before 5 yearsthe HCSP recommends not exposing your child to screens broadcasting 3D images due to the negative effects (visual fatigue and non-compliance with the principle of convergence and accommodation).
- Prohibit the presence of screen in the room child or adolescent, regardless of age.
- No screen should be on and/or used 1 hour before falling asleep, in order to improve the quality of sleep.
- No screen on during the mealat the risk of distracting children who would unconsciously modify their eating behavior by eating more and less well.
Recommendations from the National Academy of Medicine
On February 8, 2023, the National Academy of Medicine published a communicated on the consequences of exposure to light from screens for children and adolescents and evokes a real public health problem. While academics describe digital tools as “remarkable tools for training and awakening”, they denounce the dangers of misusing screens which is the cause of retinal phototoxicity and dysregulation of the sleep-wake rhythm. The National Academy of Medicine advises against their use for children under three years of age and advises older children to wear blue light blocking glasses which can attack the retinal photoreceptors “ensuring fine vision, reading, writing and colored vision”. The academicians also insist on the dangers of using screens at night which causes in adolescents in particular a desynchronization of the internal clock and consequently a much more difficult sleep.
That he (often) asks you for your phone or that he turns on his tablet as soon as he gets home does not necessarily mean that he is dependent and that he will never be able to do without screens again. SO, how to know if he is addicted ? We start by distinguishing between regular consumption, excessive consumption and addiction. Then, we determine the total number of hours whether he passes in front of the computer, the tablet, the laptop, the console or the TV. If it is more than three hours a day, its consumption is certainly excessive and potentially worrying, especially if he withdraws, neglects his friends and exchanges less and less with his family. An addiction is particularly worrying when screens become its main, if not its only, center of interest. And this, to the detriment of others (social, emotional, athletic, …) and above all, of his homework!
Another mark: if your child is unable to turn off their device when you ask him to do it or to disconnect for several days in a row, then you have to ask yourself questions, talk about it with him and above all define limits. So it’s all a question of time spent in front of screens and how to consume the virtual!
Set up connection times instead : weekly slots during which he can use his devices.
Propose other activities
For this screen time limitation is not taken for a punishment, the child must be able to do other activities. Depending on his tastes, suggest that he do creative or manual activities, play board games, go to see an exhibition or go out on a bike ride.
Lead by example
How do you want your child not to be tempted to play on their smartphone if you yourself are glued to it for hours? When you are at home, avoid turning on a screen when you have a free moment and try to limit yourself too. Similarly, it is not recommended to watch television during meals. Instead, take the opportunity to chat with your family and talk about your day.
Share and discuss
Even if they remain to be consumed in moderation, “screens are extraordinary media for entertainment and education, but only if you discover them at the right time and in the right conditions“, specifies Serge Tisseron, psychiatrist and doctor of psychology, in his book “3-6-9-12: taming screens and growing“. So, if instead of spending time alone on the screens, you watch a video together and comment on it in turn? An individual activity then becomes interactive and a good way to sharpen your critical sense and your ability to observe. Finally, try to take an interest in what he is watching, ask him questions about his favorite YouTube channel, his online game… To consider screens as harmful enemies for our children, they become objects of transgression: it is therefore sometimes better to consider them as objects of supervised sharing.
Empower the child
In order to empower children, Serge Tisseron offers them to write down the time spent in front of this or that screen in a small notebook: “screens cause them to lose all notion of duration, hence the importance of reintroducing rituals that allow them to evaluate their consumption“, he recommends. They have the right to one a day? It is up to them to manage their connection time. Because between the tablet, the laptop and the consoles, it is difficult to control the time spent in front of the screen!