Louise Sallé / Photo credits: StockSnap/pixabay
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11:34 a.m., February 2, 2024
Faced with their children’s screen addiction, parents feel overwhelmed. 71% report negative consequences on the behavior of their children between zero and six years old. Seven out of ten health professionals respond that families do not take the subject seriously enough.
Parents are overwhelmed by their children’s screen addiction. This is the finding drawn up by the barometer of the Foundation for Children and Ifop, presented yesterday to the Ministry of Health. 71% report negative consequences on the behavior of their children between zero and six years old. Even if they admit to using their smartphone and tablet with them. To which seven out of ten health professionals respond that families do not take the subject seriously to limit this exposure.
“These children do not speak and do not know how to develop a social bond”
“I once gave him my phone for five minutes so he could watch a little cartoon. Afterwards, he got upset. I’m completely aware of the negative side of it, but it’s not always obvious, so I feel a little guilty.” Like Isabelle and her five-year-old son, many feel helpless. And yet, the consequences are disastrous, according to Thierry Roussel, who manages daycare centers for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
“We are seeing more and more children who are neurotypical. Completely normal, but who may have developed neurodevelopmental disorders because of screens,” he explains. These children, a large number of them, do not speak and do not know how to develop a social bond with another child or with adults. On average, a two-year-old child spends one hour a day in front of screens.
The world of health is alarmed by this statistic: “More and more health professionals are addressing this subject in consultation. But the reality is that parents who are overwhelmed on how to treat it. And it “This is where there is a real challenge for us, it is to create tools that are really within the reach of parents, of all parents.” Equipping parents will therefore be the heart of the work of the experts mandated by the President of the Republic, who will make their recommendations in April.