Technologies. "Addict score," "digital curfew": ways to combat screen use among teens

"A state of emergency must be declared against screens," with "radical measures" to "save" young people from the harmful effects of social media, urges an op-ed co-signed by former prime minister Gabriel Attal and child psychiatrist Marcel Rufo. This op-ed, published Tuesday by Le Figaro , comes a year after the report "Children and Screens" produced by a commission of experts commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron. What "radical measures" are we talking about?

An “assessment interview” for screen addiction

While adolescents "spend between 3.5 and 5 hours a day in front of a screen," the former Prime Minister and the child psychiatrist propose creating an "assessment interview" for screen addiction "when they start 6th grade, then 10th grade."

Age verification

Age checks similar to those imposed on pornographic sites to prohibit access to social networks by those under 15 are also recommended.

A “digital curfew”

The article puts forward the idea of ​​a "digital curfew" to prevent young people aged 15 to 18 from accessing the site "from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m." For this age group, social media should "go black and white for at least an hour" after 30 minutes of use, to reduce its appeal.

Access to social networks limited to one hour

Access to social media would be limited to one hour for minors: "even China does it with TikTok - for once, let's take inspiration from what this country is doing!", the authors of the article declare, while a commission of inquiry into the psychological effects of TikTok on minors has been launched in the Assembly.

A public "addict-score", modeled on the Nutri-score, could be created to "assess the addictive potential of applications and platforms."

A fund for mental health linked to screens

Finally, they propose that "2% of the revenue generated" by the platforms' activities in France go to a fund financing research and care for mental health.

In another article published on Tuesday, five learned societies called for a ban on screens for children under six years old because they "lastingly affect their health and intellectual abilities."