A consortium of five French learned societies has called for a ban on screen activities for children under six years old, warning that such exposure can "permanently affect their health and mental abilities," according to L'Express. The statement, co-signed and posted online by the French Society of Pediatrics, the Societies of Public Health, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, and the Francophone Society of Health and Environment, urges immediate action to protect young children's development.
The new alert emphasizes that neither screen technology nor its content, including supposedly educational material, is suitable for a small, developing brain. Numerous international scientific publications support this claim and document the negative effects of screen exposure on young children. Health professionals and kindergarten teachers have observed language delays, attention disorders, memorization problems, and motor agitation among children regularly exposed to screens before entering primary school.
The learned societies assert that the essential message of health authorities—no screens before the age of three—is "clearly insufficient and must be updated in light of recent data." They propose that the updated message should be: "No screens before six years old." The experts emphasize that the neurodevelopment of the child results from rich and varied observations and interactions with the environment, with the first six years of life being fundamental.
This call for collective awareness is directed at young parents, teachers, educators, caregivers, and political decision-makers. The experts state, "Every day new scientific publications" in this age group demonstrate "the negative effects of repeated, even brief, exposure to screens in terms of socio-relational, emotional, intellectual, and neurological development, and somatic health." They underline that damage from screen exposure occurs regardless of the form: television, tablet, or phone.
Sleep, a crucial pillar of overall health and learning, is also disturbed by exposure to screens, especially in the evening and in the hours before bedtime. The experts point out the dangers of screens for children's vision, including an increased risk of myopia and long-term retinal consequences due to blue light and accommodation to screens. They emphasize the physical health consequences of screens on children.
"It is not about demonizing digital tools and their use, but there is an age for everything," the experts assert. They urge parents to favor alternative activities: reading aloud, games—free, board, or outdoors—physical, creative, and artistic activities. They propose, "Let's protect them. Let's put down our smartphones and turn off the television during shared moments, games, meals. And don't put them in front of a screen."
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
