School principals sound the alarm
(Quebec) Quebec students have difficulty writing, expressing themselves and socializing, nothing less, according to school principals.
On Tuesday, the Association québécoise du personnel de direction des écoles (AQPDE) presented a brief to the special commission studying the effects of screens on the health and well-being of young people.
She explained that she had surveyed its members, who expressed widespread concern that students "have less ability to decode the non-verbal and facial expressions of their interlocutors."
Linguistically, five-year-old students speak like three-year-olds, reports the AQPDE.
As language is closely linked to the management of emotions, more and more students are disorganized in class and staff, such as principals, must use restrictive measures to intervene.
"Our principals note that this practice was rarely necessary in our elementary schools three or four years ago," the AQPDE points out in its brief.
Students have poorer fine motor skills and more difficulty learning to write, which could be explained by the presence of touch screens at home and the reduction in time spent drawing and crafting.
In terms of social relationships, school principals say they have noticed that students have difficulty getting in touch with each other.
"We feel that they don't know how to get in touch anymore, so it's a great loss [...] social skills," particularly in preschool, where "the management of conflict situations between students is only increasing," it is reported.
In addition, social networks bring new concerns. In elementary school, young girls come to class with anti-wrinkle cream, the merits of which are praised by influencers.
Other young people want to be exempted from their physical education classes because they are afraid of being filmed.
Staff and principals share this concern about being filmed or recorded, according to the AQPDE, which would welcome the deployment of an awareness campaign aimed at parents.
Shift into second gearIt is time to shift into second gear to mark out screens, by encouraging several actors in society, not just individuals, to take responsibility, according to French epidemiologist Jonathan Bernard.
"For the moment, we are addressing individuals, we have to do this, that. We have not really moved into gear number two to also constrain the actors, to make them responsible for the perverse effects they can cause on health," he said.
Mr. Bernard recommends that governments set up "terminals" or "frameworks". In France, for example, we said "no screens before the age of three" and no social networks before the age of 15 without parental consent.
Cell phones have also been completely banned in high schools
Very quickly, it will also be necessary to make the major platforms responsible, in particular so that they limit "addictive designs" such as infinite scrolling, said Mr. Bernard.
Because studies on the harmful effects of screens are increasingly "robust" and "consensual", especially with regard to sleep, sedentary lifestyle, obesity and vision, added French neurologist Servane Mouton.
This is not to mention the development of language, emotion management, attentional capacity and mental health in young people, all of which are the subject of increasingly "rich" studies around the world.
Ms. Mouton reminded Quebec elected officials that screens are not essential to a child's development. "It's not a necessity to make it an accomplished being," she said.
"A real public health issue"Describing the situation as a "real public health issue," the president and CEO of the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) recommended on Tuesday greater "digital sobriety."
Pierre-Gerlier Forest says he relies on current scientific knowledge to call for the implementation of "structural, multifaceted and coherent actions between environments, beyond individual responsibility".
For example, a reduction in screen time in a school context should be considered for both classroom educational uses, leisure activities and daycare services.
Currently, in Quebec, some policies carried out by different ministries have objectives that are not necessarily aligned, points out the INSPQ.
The institute proposes three main objectives to guide public action: delaying the use of screens, reducing time and exposure, especially when there is no added educational value, and reducing harm.
Consultations continue until September 26. The special commission must also visit schools, before submitting
its report by May 30, 2025 at the latest.
On Tuesday, the Association québécoise du personnel de direction des écoles (AQPDE) presented a brief to the special commission studying the effects of screens on the health and well-being of young people.
She explained that she had surveyed its members, who expressed widespread concern that students "have less ability to decode the non-verbal and facial expressions of their interlocutors."
Linguistically, five-year-old students speak like three-year-olds, reports the AQPDE.
As language is closely linked to the management of emotions, more and more students are disorganized in class and staff, such as principals, must use restrictive measures to intervene.
"Our principals note that this practice was rarely necessary in our elementary schools three or four years ago," the AQPDE points out in its brief.
Students have poorer fine motor skills and more difficulty learning to write, which could be explained by the presence of touch screens at home and the reduction in time spent drawing and crafting.
In terms of social relationships, school principals say they have noticed that students have difficulty getting in touch with each other.
"We feel that they don't know how to get in touch anymore, so it's a great loss [...] social skills," particularly in preschool, where "the management of conflict situations between students is only increasing," it is reported.
In addition, social networks bring new concerns. In elementary school, young girls come to class with anti-wrinkle cream, the merits of which are praised by influencers.
Other young people want to be exempted from their physical education classes because they are afraid of being filmed.
Staff and principals share this concern about being filmed or recorded, according to the AQPDE, which would welcome the deployment of an awareness campaign aimed at parents.
Shift into second gearIt is time to shift into second gear to mark out screens, by encouraging several actors in society, not just individuals, to take responsibility, according to French epidemiologist Jonathan Bernard.
"For the moment, we are addressing individuals, we have to do this, that. We have not really moved into gear number two to also constrain the actors, to make them responsible for the perverse effects they can cause on health," he said.
Mr. Bernard recommends that governments set up "terminals" or "frameworks". In France, for example, we said "no screens before the age of three" and no social networks before the age of 15 without parental consent.
Cell phones have also been completely banned in high schools
Very quickly, it will also be necessary to make the major platforms responsible, in particular so that they limit "addictive designs" such as infinite scrolling, said Mr. Bernard.
Because studies on the harmful effects of screens are increasingly "robust" and "consensual", especially with regard to sleep, sedentary lifestyle, obesity and vision, added French neurologist Servane Mouton.
This is not to mention the development of language, emotion management, attentional capacity and mental health in young people, all of which are the subject of increasingly "rich" studies around the world.
Ms. Mouton reminded Quebec elected officials that screens are not essential to a child's development. "It's not a necessity to make it an accomplished being," she said.
"A real public health issue"Describing the situation as a "real public health issue," the president and CEO of the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) recommended on Tuesday greater "digital sobriety."
Pierre-Gerlier Forest says he relies on current scientific knowledge to call for the implementation of "structural, multifaceted and coherent actions between environments, beyond individual responsibility".
For example, a reduction in screen time in a school context should be considered for both classroom educational uses, leisure activities and daycare services.
Currently, in Quebec, some policies carried out by different ministries have objectives that are not necessarily aligned, points out the INSPQ.
The institute proposes three main objectives to guide public action: delaying the use of screens, reducing time and exposure, especially when there is no added educational value, and reducing harm.
Consultations continue until September 26. The special commission must also visit schools, before submitting
its report by May 30, 2025 at the latest.
