Children under six years old should not be exposed to screens at all, warn medical experts in France, who are alarming about the serious effects on the development of the brain and mental health of the little ones.
Photo: Shutterstock
A group of medical organizations in France warns that the use of screens, from TVs and tablets, to smartphones and video games, can seriously and irreversibly affect the brain of young children, according to The Guardian.
In an open letter to the French government, five of the most important specialized companies, in the field of pediatrics, public health, ophthalmology, infantile psychiatry and environmental health, I point out: “The screens, in any form they would be, do not meet the needs of children. Worse, they prevent and alter the development of the brain ”causing “a sustainable change in their intellectual health and capabilities ”.
Current regulations are considered insufficient
According to current recommendations in France, children under three years should not be exposed to screens at all, and between three and six years, only occasionally in the presence of an adult. However, experts say that these measures are insufficient and demand the complete ban on the exposure of children under six years in screens, including at home and in educational institutions.
“Children are not miniature adults”
“Neither the technology of the screens, nor their content, including the so-called “educational” content, are not adapted to a small, developing brain. Children are not miniature adults: their needs are different needs”, Stresses the authors of the letter.
Doctors and educators report that, more and more, they meet young children late in language development, concentration difficulties, memory problems and hyperactivity – all correlated with early and constant exposure.
Effects and on social and emotional development
They also warn on the negative impact on the social and emotional development of the little ones. Although the phenomenon affects all social categories, children from disadvantaged environments are the most vulnerable, which deepens social inequalities.
What can parents do
Instead of the time spent in front of the screens, specialists recommend activities such as “Reading aloud, free play, company or outdoor games, physical, creative and artistic activities. ”
The letter ends with a strong call: “No one would remember a child under six years to cross the street alone. Why expose him then to a screen, when this compromises their health and intellectual future?“
Worrying data on the time spent in front of the screens
According to a report ordered by President Emmanuel Macron, French children between three and six years old spent, on average, one hour and 47 minutes a day in front of the screens, according to the latest data available from 2014-2015. Although the Commission has issued several recommendations, only one, regarding the prohibition of the exposure of children under three years, has been implemented so far.
Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal went even further, proposing to prohibit the access of children under 15 years to social networks. For teenagers between 15 and 18, he proposed a radical measure: a “siege extinguishing“Digital, to limit their access to social networks after 22:00.
