2023-04-19 08:18:49
Public Health France alerts parents with a worrying study on the time spent by children under 6 in front of screens.
The time spent by the youngest in front of the television or the tablet is a sensitive subject. While the rise of technology is inevitable, screens can have a very negative influence on children’s development. This is particularly the case if they are under 6 years old. But studies on the time and age at which children are exposed to these tools are increasing.
On April 12, Public Health France looked into the matter. The agency released a comparative study on the time spent by the youngest in front of screens in the hexagon. Moreover, the study is the first to take into account certain specific criteria. The goal is to see if there are any disparities or factors that can impact this habit.
A survey published in the BEH describes for the 1st time in ???????? and longitudinally, the time of#screentotal and by type of screen, of children followed at 2, 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 years
The objective: to better target the contexts where this time exceeds the recommendationshttps://t.co/rWvv3Dm8Ds pic.twitter.com/9HmdNT83mo
— Inserm (@Inserm) April 12, 2023
Average time spent in front of screens ranging from 56 minutes to over an hour and a half
Published figures indicate that children spend a lot of time in front of these digital entertainment. On average, a 2-year-old child devotes 56 minutes to it a day. A child of 3 and a half years spends 1h20 in front of his screens and this time increases to 1h34 for children of 5 and a half years. Nevertheless, this is an average. The study recalls that there are children under 6 in France who spend more than 2 hours a day in front of these tools.
However, this is very dangerous. For one thing, they may have trouble calming down as adults if the tablet is used to soothe the child. If put before the age of 2 in front of a screen, children can also suffer from sleep disorders, learning difficulties, attention disorders…
Whatever the age or time spent, the general recommendations on the subject are rarely respected by parents. But elements other than the recommendations are interesting to observe.
The sex of the children and the family context: aggravating factors?
One of the highlights of the study is the impact of certain factors in increasing the time spent in front of the television or the tablet. For example, the study indicates that in families where the mother has a low level of education, the time spent is greater. Depending on the region where the children live, this screen time may also be more important. This is the case of children living in the North of France.
Finally, the study specifies that as they grow up, children adopt a different behavior according to their sex. According to their records, little boys from 5 years old spent on average 10 minutes more in front of their screens than girls of the same age.
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