Child health booklets in France will be updated to include risks of screen time
Report by experts recommends banning screens for children under the age of three
A mobile phone ban is being trialled in some French schools
Jelena Stanojkovic/Shutterstock
Health booklets for children in France will be updated from January 2025 to include new information, including the risks of too much screen time, the health ministry has announced.
The carnet de santé currently tracks the health status of children including their vaccinations, hospital appointments, and growth levels, and is given to parents after a birth.
However, it will soon include “advice and follow-up measures” for parents regarding the amount of time a child spends in front of a screen, said minister Geneviève Darrieussecq to FranceInfo.
“It's important to explain to parents, who are on the front line, how harmful it is [for children] to spend too much time in front of screens,” she added.
The minister added she wants screen time to be a major discussion point at health meetings for parents.
Spending too much time in front of a screen “de-socialises children [by] locking them into their own bubbles,” and increases the risk of “psychological disorders and malaise,” she said.
A recent study by health body ANSES (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire) claims children under six spend on average four and a half hours in front of screens per week.
Plans to cut screen time
A report by healthcare experts over the risk of increased screen time in children was delivered to the previous government in April 2024.
It claimed that medically, “a clear consensus has emerged on the direct and indirect negative effects of screens,” with an emphasis of its impact on “sleep, a sedentary lifestyle - which encourages obesity - and myopia.”
The report advised the government to implement – or recommend to parents – 29 measures to limit screen usage amongst children.
These include:
No screen time for children under the age of 3Extremely limited screen time between the ages of 3 and 6, where children could only “watch content of educational quality and accompanied by an adult”
No mobile phone access until the age of 11
Between 11 and 13, these phones should not have access to the internet, and after, should be limited via parental controls
No access to social media of any kind before the age of 15, and after this age (until adulthood), only to “ethical” social media networks
Changes in school?
A trial of banning mobile phones at school is already underway, and may be rolled out nationally in 2025.
Read more: What changes in schools for the 2024 autumn rentrée in France
A second report by France’s Sante publique paints a less clear picture of the issue, however, with screen time in some cases benefiting children’s education.
It compiled the results from several studies, some of which also claimed any screentime before the age of 3 negatively impacts children.
Other studies however said that screen time, in moderation, can benefit children, provided the content is educational and they are accompanied by an adult.
The use of certain educational games can improve fine motor skills, handwriting, and learning, some studies said.
The report concludes that screen time is not the sole issue, but which media is consumed – and how.
