Already about a year ago, the French president asked scientists and experts to propose guidelines for the use of screens among children, with the goal of France taking unprecedented steps to limit their exposure. This is in light of the understanding in recent years that the exposure impairs their cognitive and emotional development, reduces their ability to verbally express themselves, their communication, and their ability to pay attention.
The 142-page report was written, among other things, by experts in child psychiatry and neurology, after a three-month study. The report stated that cell phones should be avoided for children before the age of 11. Between the ages of 11 and 13, the child’s phone should not have internet access. The experts state that children should be allowed access to social networks such as Tiktok, Instagram and Snapchat not before the age of 18.
The report also made strict recommendations for young parents and stated that phones and screens should be limited as much as possible in maternity wards, in order to help parents bond with their newly born babies. The restriction on exposure to phones should also be similar for nannies, during the hours of caring for babies.
For children up to the age of six, the report stated – screens of all types should be “very limited”, and children should only be exposed to content on television or on computers or tablets when they are sitting next to an adult and to consume educational content. The experts also stated that screens should be completely banned in kindergartens For children under the age of six. In primary schools, children should not be given individual tablets or digital devices to work on, unless there is a specific disability.
The experts also stated that screens have negative effects on children, and harm their intelligence, the cognitive processes in their brains, the ability to concentrate, as well as vision and metabolism. They added that the algorithms according to which the social networks operate stimulate the pleasure system and are designed to prevent interest in the content displayed in a short time, so that an addictive dynamic is created for the children. They added that technology is an important tool, but should work at the service of the people, and not the other way around – when the people serve the social network activity.
“Studies in recent years are beginning to point to the negative effects of screens on children,” explains Dr. Miriam Fink, coordinator of child psychiatry in the Jerusalem district of the National Health Fund, “screens reduce other activities, cause sensory overstimulation, addiction, exposure to age-inappropriate content, for a decrease in motivation to engage in leisure activities appropriate for their age. The result is that these children are restless, nervous, easily bored, resent the setting of the parents’ limits, and are not interested in participating in classes or social gatherings. All of these significantly harm their normal development.”
“A long series of studies point to the negative effects of screens on children,” agrees Dr. Shai Chen-Gal, a clinical child psychologist, “they harm the quality of sleep, sensory regulation, weight, the ability to create interpersonal relationships and communication skills. The hours in front of the screen prevent the child from social interactions and harm his ability to develop interpersonal skills. Exposure to screens also significantly impairs the ability to pay attention and concentrate due to the habit of watching the fast and short videos, so that the child has difficulty persevering and concentrating for more than a few minutes.”
The exposure to screens also takes a toll on the youth: “They are less involved in social interactions,” notes Dr. Chen-Gal, “It hurts their social skills, their ability to create empathy and develop intimacy in relationships. The ability to make eye contact is also impaired. As a result, many of them feel loneliness, and difficulty in creating friendships and relationships. The exposure to fast stimuli like Tiktok and Instagram also harms their ability to deal with situations of frustration which are an important and inseparable part of the development process.”
“My recommendation is until the age of 6 to completely avoid exposure to screens and from the age of six to the age of 12 to limit the exposure to no more than an hour and a half a day. In order to reach this goal, it is worthwhile to try and draw up an agreement with the other parents of the class that all undertake to abide by the agreement, without it it will not be possible to enforce the exposure the children”.