A new health record will be put in place from January 1, 2025. We explain to you what is changing.
New year, new health record. Former Minister of Health Geneviève Darrieussecq announced last November: the health record will be modified from January 1, 2025. The main reason for this change is the addition of information and monitoring measures linked to screen use among children. And for good reason: “screens are omnipresent. It has become a scourge among children,” regrets Dr. Emmanuel Delmas, pediatrician and author of “My child is STILL sick.” A investigation carried out by Santé Publique France in 2023 concluded that the average daily screen time among 2-year-olds was almost an hour. However, the official recommendations are clear: “no screens for three years”. Although the dangers of screens for children have been well known for several years, they are not currently mentioned in the health report. “It’s a good thing to introduce this into the health record,” rejoices the pediatrician.
So in concrete terms, what will be indicated in the new version of the health record? A complete page will, for example, explain the general recommendations for screen use at each age, explaining the associated risks. It will notably be written: “between 3 and 6 years old, screen use must remain occasional, limited to content of educational quality and accompanied by an adult”.
Then on each page dedicated to medical examinations scheduled each month before three years of age, you will be asked to indicate whether the child is exposed to screens, and if so how often. And after three years, the doctor will have to record whether there is a screen in the child’s room or whether he or she watches one before bedtime. Essential information given the omnipresence of screens and the risks they can represent for children’s development, eyesight and even sleep.
“We need to do prevention, early detection”, had also justified the former Minister of Health when announcing this development to France Info, judging that too much use of screens could be to blame. the origin of “psychological disorders, unease”. In this new health record, health professionals will also have to identify and report possible psychological disorders, such as anxiety or depressive symptoms.