The French Longitudinal Study of Children (Elfe) follows a cohort of children born in 2011 in mainland France. In total, 18,040 families were recruited in 349 maternity units across the country in order to obtain a sample representative of the French population. It is the largest scientific study on the impact of the environment on children’s development and health, since it has followed, is following and will follow them from birth to adulthood.
At the request of the Directorate-General for Health, INSERM and INED published a report in December 2018 on physical activity and screen use at age 2 among children in the Elfe cohort. The survey looked at physical activity, essentially through the play activities (walks, ball games, swimming…) of 2-year-olds, as well as their more sedentary activities such as the use of different types of screens (tablet, computer, console video games, mobile phone games, television).
The main descriptive results on physical activity suggest that one third of two-year-olds never or only occasionally play with a ball; more than one in three never goes to the swimming pool. While the majority go for walks, a quarter of mothers never or only occasionally take walks with their two-year-old. Nearly half of them (44%) never or only occasionally play games or do physical activities (ball games, swimming, etc.) with them.
As regards screen use, the Elfe study suggests that 84% of children watch television at least once a week, and 68% every day or almost every day. Fewer than a third play with a computer or tablet at least once a week, and about 12% do so every day or almost every day. One child in 5 plays with a multifunction mobile phone at least once a week and one in ten does so every day or almost every day. Very few (6.6%) play console video games, even occasionally.
Among the key sociodemographic factors predicting screen frequency and screen time are notably the mother’s and father’s levels of education, household income, the occupational status of each, family situation and the size of the sibling group. Higher screen consumption is correlated with living as a couple, a lower level of education of both parents, a lower family income, and a young mother aged 31 or under.
It is regrettable, as the study itself acknowledges, that there is no data on parents’ behavioural factors, such as their own frequency of screen use, and their attitudes and beliefs towards screens. We know how important imitation is for the child with regard to family habits. Likewise, we have no information on the programmes watched or the game software used with these young children, nor on whether it is a solitary or supervised activity.
https://www.ined.fr/fichier/rte/129/cote-recherche/Publications/Activite%20physique%20et%20ecrans_2%20ans_enfants%20Elfe.pdf
Serge Tisseron is a doctoral student in education sciences.
