Where are we in the fight against screen exposure among children and adolescents? The government has been promising action for over a year, but the measures remain tentative. This is something experts regret, even if some put the health emergency into perspective.
"We are very surprised to see the slow pace of action: we see a lot of talk, a lot of commissions, but very, very little concrete action," Yves Marry, general delegate of the association Lève les yeux, which is committed to combating overexposure to screens, laments to AFP.
Screen abuse affects health, especially that of children: disrupted sleep, increased sedentary lifestyle with a risk of being overweight... Less certain, the effects on their development are also a cause for concern.
The issue of screens and children has been on the table since spring 2024, when a commission of experts commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron submitted its recommendations.
The document recommends, among other things, preventing young children from accessing screens and banning smartphones until adolescence, with gradual access to the internet. Above all, it attacks digital companies, calling for stricter regulation.
The Head of State then promised that all the relevant ministries – Health, Education, Digital Affairs, Children – would work quickly to implement the recommendations.
But, for several months, "we have not been approached by the ministries," neurologist Servane Mouton, who led the commission's work alongside addiction specialist Amine Benyamina, told AFP.
– “Mobile on pause” –
A meeting between the experts, the Élysée Palace, Matignon, and the relevant ministries took place in April, information revealed this week by Radio France's investigative unit. Since then, Ms. Mouton laments, there has been silence despite a "very constructive" meeting and "rich discussions."
When questioned by AFP, sources within the executive assured of their commitment.
Mr. Macron, particularly invested, "is putting pressure on the subject," insists the Elysée, referring the government back to "its own work."
Within the government, which is threatened with collapse on Monday during the confidence vote requested by Prime Minister François Bayrou, the various cabinets are ruling out any inaction.
"There has never been a halt," assures the High Commission for Children, while the office of the Minister of Health, Catherine Vautrin, believes that she "has made a strong commitment."
In fact, some measures have been taken. This summer, the Ministry of Health formally banned screens in places where children under three are present.
On the education front, the "mobile phone break" system must become more widespread, requiring middle school students to leave their cell phones at the school entrance (lockers, wallets, etc.). Digital tools like Pronote, which allow teachers to communicate with students and parents, must now be disconnected in the evenings and on weekends.
– Guide for families –
A guide, based in part on the recommendations of the expert commission, will also soon be distributed to families to promote "balanced and responsible use of screens," according to the Ministry of National Education.
As for the Minister for Digital Affairs, Clara Chappaz, she has been working to ban social media for those under 15, a measure supported by Mr. Macron that could be made possible by a recent EU decision.
"We are now working to enshrine the ban on children under 15 at the national level by the end of the year," his services indicated on Saturday.
Some members of the Screen Commission refrain from judging the government too harshly, not denying its willingness to act but explaining the blockage by an inability to coordinate in the midst of political instability.
"Things are moving slower than we imagined, but they are moving forward," epidemiologist Jonathan Bernard told AFP, adding that a major communications plan was planned by the government but has not yet seen the light of day.
The researcher, who led a study for the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) evaluating the effects of screens on development, puts the notion of urgency into perspective, emphasizing that the individual risk is limited for each child.
But "small streams make big rivers, which is why the stakes are real on a collective level," he concludes, calling for action "but without haste or dramatization."
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