On the occasion of the start of the school year, the famous doctor Jimmy Mohamed reminds us of the harmful effects of smartphones on middle school students, recommending that they be equipped with simple touch-tone telephones instead.
It’s official, after two months of summer vacation, the time has come for the 2024 school year to start. To prepare their children for their return to school, some parents have given in to the temptation of buying them a phone. Unfortunately, this can be dangerous. In addition to the threats lurking on the Internet and social networks – cyberbullying, sexual predators, addictions, violent content, etc. – children are exposed to other health risks. So much so that the government has taken steps to limit the use of smartphones among young people. On August 27, during the press conference organized for the start of the school year, Nicole Belloubet announced the experiment of banning mobile phones in nearly 200 middle schools.
The resigning Minister of National Education, who wants to implement a “digital break” for adolescents, plans to generalize this measure from January 2025. From now on, the board of directors of middle and high schools will be able to introduce into the internal regulations the ban on the use of smartphones throughout the establishment, including during breaks. Despite this new law, worried parents have still bought a smartphone so that their child can contact them if necessary. But what do the experts say on this subject?
For Jimmy Mohamed, no social networks before 15 years old
During his passage in RTL morning show (which you can listen to again online), this Monday, September 2, the famous – and friendly – doctor Jimmy Mohamed spoke about the impact of smartphones on adolescents. The specialist thus assured that it is absolutely not necessary for a child under 15 to have this type of device. “Middle school students do not need a telephone either at school or outside the school. They can possibly have a small, simple 9-button telephone, without any Internet access. That is more than enough.”he explained, before recalling the recommendations of his colleagues. “No phone before 11 and no social media before 15.”
If Jimmy Mohamed’s opinion is so clear on the subject, it is above all because smartphones can have serious consequences on the development of adolescents, notably because of a phenomenon called digital multitasking. “Teens quickly switch between apps, notifications and other tasks, which reduces their ability to focus on a single task over the long term and can fragment their attention.”the doctor warned, adding that smartphones could also affect the sleep of young people. “These smartphones are stealing our sleep time while disrupting our falling asleep by blocking the nighttime hormone called melatonin.”he concluded.