Are we harming our children under 6 by showing them screens (even a little)?

“ No one would dream of letting a child under six cross the street alone. So why expose them to a screen when it compromises their health and intellectual future? " The words are strong, even dramatic, and the message seems clear: screens are harmful at any dose and in all their forms for children under 6, according to a text carried by neurologist Servane Mouton, written at the initiative of the pediatrician at the Saint-Etienne University Hospital Hugues Patural and supported by five learned societies, namely the French Societies of Pediatrics, Public Health, Ophthalmology and of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, as well as the French-speaking Society of Health and Environment.

This vehemence is widely controversial in the scientific community, which is more inclined to deliver nuanced messages. In essence, and despite the alarmist and sometimes guilt-inducing tone of this letter, the core message Servane Mouton wishes to convey is not so far removed from that of experts in the field: before the age of 3, no screens, and between the ages of 3 and 6, avoid them as much as possible.