dangers but also unsuspected benefits

Thirty-six hours. This is the time that French adolescents spend on average each week in front of screens. The equivalent of a full-time job. And nearly 8 out of 10 French children own at least one device. It’s difficult for adults to set an example: we check our smartphones every six minutes. The Covid years and the emergence of remote working have of course not helped matters.

Almost no area is exempt. From our relationships with others to our information media and our consumption patterns, the virtual world has woven its web into our daily lives. Increasingly ergonomic, these tools immerse us in them with increasing ease and that is perhaps the worst part. No need to delve into the depths of the Internet to experience horror. We now find ourselves just a few clicks away, on social networks or online video platforms, from pornography, conspiracy, extreme violence, packs of harassers, influencers who are not always well-intentioned.

Difficult for children to sort good content from bad. This development is not without consequences for their health, their psychological development and their safety. Meanwhile, politicians are giving contradictory speeches on the subject.

However, screens also do good: in hospitals, virtual reality headsets help little patients during the most painful treatments. They educate our children for free, entertain them, calm them, help them fall asleep… But at what cost?