Their recommendations are, to say the least, categorical. In a report, which will be submitted this Tuesday, April 30 to the President of the Republic, experts broadly recommend banning the use of screens for children under the age of three and mobile phones for those under 11, in strictly limiting access in subsequent years for adolescents.
This report entitled “in search of lost time” and revealed Monday evening by several regional dailies, including The voice of the North, was led by Servane Mouton, neurologist, and Amine Benyamina, psychiatrist. It highlights both the health and societal risks of exposure to screens and warns of “the reality of the hyper connection suffered by children”, but also for the future “of our society, our civilization”.
Negative effects, direct and indirect
The commission explains that it was “shocked” by “the strategies for capturing children’s attention”. “A very clear consensus has emerged on the negative effects, direct and indirect, of screens”, notably on sleep, a sedentary lifestyle – which promotes obesity – or even myopia”, she writes in this report, cited in The voice of the North.
Experts point to social networks, a “risk factor” for depression or anxiety, in cases of “pre-existing vulnerability”. Furthermore, “the level of exposure of children” to pornographic and violent content “appears alarming”, they write. They believe that “screens are not the cause of neurodevelopmental disorders” but call for “vigilance” to “avoid the amplification of symptoms”.
Exposure to screens also affects falling asleep and the quality of sleep: “Lack of sleep disrupts the ability to learn. It in turn impairs health and exposes one to psychiatric illnesses.” Additionally, screens also cause vision problems. Artificial light can contribute to myopia and ophthalmic diseases. To “regain control”, they call for preventing all use of screens by children under three years old, by then opening, between three and six years old, “highly limited” access, “with content of educational quality and accompanied by an adult.
“Limit the telephone as much as possible”
We must “limit as much as possible” the use of mobile phones and televisions in maternity wards, further proposes the commission, which would like to see computers and televisions banned in nurseries and nursery classes. She calls for “reinforced actions” with childminders.
The commission also recommends only authorizing mobile phones from the age of 11, via a telephone without Internet up to 13 years of age. From the age of 13, it suggests giving a smartphone without access to social networks, then opening this access from the age of 15, only on “ethical” networks.
The group of experts calls for combating “predatory services” from economic players, such as “infinite scrolling” or “automatic video launch”, and for allowing users to better configure application functionalities and control. parental. “We were shocked by what we saw: strategies for capturing children’s attention. Cognitive biases are used to lock children on their screens, control them, re-engage them, monetize them,” declares Amine Benyamina, neurologist and co-chair of the expert committee in an interview at West France. “It’s an economy of capture. Parents are almost out of the picture, facing a market that has imposed itself on society,” he adds.
“What shocked us is that professionals do not have the protection of children as a priority. Behind the facade speeches, it is business on all levels”, adds Servane Mouton, neurologist and also co-president . In recent years, studies on the effects of screens on children’s health have multiplied. It remains to be seen whether the executive and the rest of the political world will adopt these recommendations.