12 avril 2023
The authors of the latest Epidemiological Weekly Bulletin from Public Health France collected data on the screen times of thousands of children at the ages of 2, 3 and a half and 5 and a half. Unsurprisingly unfortunately, screen time increases as children get older.
The injunction not to expose children to screens before the age of three has fizzled out. A recent work carried out within the framework of the Elfe study (French Longitudinal Study since Childhood) has thus shown that nearly nine out of ten parents do not manage to respect this recommendation and regularly expose their toddlers to television, to tablet or smartphone.
But for how long? This is precisely the subject of this new study published in the Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin of Public Health France. More than 18,000 children born in 2011 and included in this cohort were followed over time, by telephone survey, at the ages of 2, 3 and a half and 5 and a half years.
56 minutes at 2 years old, 1h34 at 5 and a half years old
Result: at 2 years old, children spent an average of 56 minutes in front of screens, then 1h20 at three and a half years old and 1h34 at 5 and a half years old. That is much more than the recommendations in force. But these results reflect an average: “much higher screen times are particularly observed in children with several immigrant grandparents, a mother born in Africa or with a low level of education”, write the authors.
They also note geographical disparities: at 5.5 years old, children from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region spent 73 minutes in front of a screen (the shortest duration), compared to 103 minutes for children from Hauts-de-France ( longest duration).
New surveys
However, this study has limits, the authors themselves acknowledge: conducted between 2013 and 2017, it does not take into account periods of confinement, where, for young and old alike, exposure to screens grew exponentially. . “New national surveys are needed to quantify recent developments”conclude the authors.
Who, without waiting, want the results of their study to be used to better target “measures to prevent excessive use of screens in young children”considering “significant differences in screen time by region of residence, social status and migration history” families measured in their study.
To note : While no difference between boys and girls was observed at 2 years old, boys used screens on average 10 minutes more than girls at 5.5 years old.
