At barely two years old, your little one already knows how to turn on the TV and start a movie on Netflix? Terrifying, but very real.
Yet, for children, the dangers of early exposure to screens are no longer in doubt.
The subject is, in fact, back in the spotlight with the government. At the end of April, experts submitted their report on screen usage among children and adolescents to President Emmanuel Macron, and measures are being recommended. Among them is a total ban on screens for toddlers.
Why are screens so dangerous and how can we protect the youngest ones? We’ll give you a few answers.
Screens for young children: a real societal issue
Whether you’re a parent or not, you’ve surely noticed: young children are glued to screens more and more often, and at an increasingly early age.
Smartphones, television, tablets, computers… from the earliest age, our little ones are exposed to a multitude of screens, both at home and outside. At the same time, it’s not surprising when we know that we adults spend an average of 32 hours per week on them. According to the CSA, French families own an average of six screens.
We don't want to scare you, but you should know that the time spent on the internet by 1- to 6-year-olds is… 4 hours and 37 minutes per week 😱
To make matters worse, children aged two spent an average of 52 minutes a day in front of a screen between 2013 and 2017. According to another study, at two years old, two out of three children watch TV every day, and one out of two children is in front of one before 18 months.
Among young people, the situation is hardly any better. According to an Ipsos survey for the National Book Center, 7- to 19-year-olds only read for 19 minutes a day for leisure and spend ten times as much time on screens, for a total of 3 hours and 11 minutes per day. Teens over 16 spend more than 5 hours a day on them.
Finally, 22% of 7- to 12-year-olds own a smartphone and 36% have access to a tablet.
When politics gets involved
With these impressive figures, it’s understandable that the government is taking this subject very seriously.
Last January, Emmanuel Macron appointed a commission of experts tasked with writing a report on the use of screens by children. The findings were submitted to the President on April 30.
Proposals for laws could stem from this report in the coming weeks.
"Determining the proper use of screens for our children, at home as well as in the classroom: this is the purpose of the report submitted to me by the commission of experts on the impact of youth exposure to screens, which I had launched. I have given the government one month to examine its recommendations and translate them into action," the head of state declared.
Experts are notably recommending banning screens for those under 3, banning mobile phones before age 11, and drastically limiting social media for adolescents. They suggest, for example, being able to provide a smartphone without access to social media starting at age 13, then opening that access starting at age 15 only on "ethical" networks.
The dangers of screens
Let’s start with the obvious: screens are convenient. They can also be fun and useful, and since they are omnipresent, it is important to support young people in their usage to teach them how to tame a rich but perilous tool.
But numerous clues point toward real risks of screens for young people.
The studies on the harmful effects of screens are increasingly numerous, and it is now established that we must keep young children away from screens as much as possible.
We remind you that exposing children to screens has impacts on different levels: cognitive and socio-emotional development, mental and physical health, and relationships with others.
- 🍫 increased sedentary behavior: playing tag outside with friends is good for your health; the Switch solo in the living room, much less so. These increasingly sedentary behaviors are worrying because they encourage a lack of physical activity at the expense of snacking (or not) in front of the TV. In any case, the result is the same: the risk of obesity has only been increasing in recent years.
- 😩 muscle pain: when you are on a screen, you often adopt a static position, with your head bowed, which breaks the natural curvature of the neck. This poor posture can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and neck pain, often called "text neck" syndrome.
- 🧠 effects on the brain: it is during childhood that our brain builds itself. Screens, which are often passive, can disrupt its proper development and lead to serious consequences: difficulties with concentration and learning, attention, memory, and language disorders… a child’s cognitive development could be affected!
- 😢 mental health issues: locking oneself into screens means reducing the interactions and external stimuli essential for a child’s healthy socio-emotional development. Screens, and especially social media, risk developing various disorders in them, such as depression, anxiety, withdrawal, and social isolation. Also, beware of exposure to inappropriate content, which can have a major impact on their social development.
- 😴 sleep disorders: how many times have you told your teen to turn off that cursed tablet and go to sleep? Too many times, surely. We advise you not to give in, because there is nothing worse than screens at night, just before bedtime. The blue light that emanates from them strongly disrupts the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone) meant to send your little one into the arms of Morpheus. Result: difficulty falling asleep, night wakings, insomnia… in short, sleep that is not deep or restorative at all, which is so important at this stage of life.
- 👁️ eye strain and vision problems: from staring at a screen, the eye works too hard and tires more quickly. This is when symptoms of eye strain can appear (eye irritation, redness, dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches…). Screen use is also believed to promote the onset of myopia.
- 🧑💻 hyperconnectivity and the risk of cyber-addiction: do you often see your child leaving the bathroom with a smartphone in their hand? It's sad (and a bit gross, we'll grant you), but in the generation of hyper-connected people we are, it doesn't shock anyone anymore! But be careful, because this reality can create cyber-addiction and an addiction to screens, particularly to social media, which can become dangerous. So, careful, no catastrophizing: addiction really refers to intense usage. Managing screen time for young people is an excellent way to prevent it.
Our tips for protecting children from screens
So you can start by following the recommendations for screen exposure time by age. Basically, the maximums are:
- 0 minutes per day during the first years of life (up to 3 years old)
- 20 minutes per day from 3 to 6 years old
- 1 to 2 hours per day up to age 9
- 2 hours per day from age 9 and up
You can also establish some rules for your tribe for reasonable screen use:
- ⏱️ limit exposure time: so that their consumption doesn’t become overconsumption and screen addiction, you sometimes have to play the bad guy to limit the time spent in front of them by setting usage time slots. You can use the age-based recommendations mentioned above for this.
- ❌ adopt the "four-no" rule: no screens in the morning, no screens during meals, no screens in the bedroom, no screens at bedtime.
- 🌙 no screens at night: besides causing insomnia and vision problems, it surely won't help them sleep better.
- 👀 support and monitor children in their screen consumption: the difficulty here is finding the right balance between monitoring and respecting privacy. But for children’s well-being, it is essential that parents explain to them how to use screens properly.
- 🗣️ talk to your child: for healthy and reasonable use of screens, communication is paramount. Let’s remember once again: screens are useful, and learning how to use them is essential.
- 🚫 set up parental controls to avoid access to malicious sites. For those interested, parental control is free with all operators.
- 👿 do not demonize their use: yes, we repeat it again. Screens are part of daily life; it is difficult to escape them. And besides, they are not only bad and can even be useful to children for fun activities, for example. When they are older, they will use them to socialize and flourish in their lives, so find the right balance to avoid overexposure to screens without disparaging them either.
- 👓 protect their eyes with blue light blocking glasses: artificial blue light promotes sleep disorders and visual fatigue. To limit this, equip your little one with a nice pair of blue light blocking glasses. You can go ahead and choose them from our range of children’s glasses right here.
- ⛹️ favor off-screen activities: remember the days when you made paper airplanes or played round after round of Pictionary? Show your child that there is more to life than video games and that you can occupy yourself in plenty of other ways. And if you manage to motivate them to do sports, you've won!
- 🤓 set an example by limiting your own screen time: how do you expect them to let go of all their various screens if you are constantly on them yourself? Follow the same rules and DISCONNECT!
Final word: screens and children
The dangers of overexposure to screens are a burning issue. It can indeed have serious consequences on children's health and development.
So much so that the government has decided to make this problem one of its priorities and to take measures to limit the damage that too much time spent in front of a screen can cause. Banning screens for those under 3, mobile phones before age 11, and limiting social media for adolescents are part of this.
While waiting for these directives, you can start to set the right rules and limit screen usage at home.
And if screens are not a subject to be taken lightly, don't forget that there is no point in demonizing them to your children. Everything is a question of the right balance and dialogue.
