The State is taking up the subject of children’s and young people’s use of digital technology, and that is undoubtedly a good thing. “ For a reasoned use of screens by children and young people ” is the name given to the action plan of Adrien Taquet, Secretary of State for children and families, announced in February 2022.
But what does this action plan offer us? Organised around 3 main areas: children, parents and professionals, it tells us about all the new platforms, kits, tips and tricks made available to each group to inform themselves and adopt good habits. All we would have to do is consult them to find solutions to the problems screens pose. For every question, an answer: screen time, bullying, pornography, parental controls; the principle at work is that of the toolbox.
Among these tools: the “jeprotegemonenfant.gouv” platform, originally focused on the issue of exposure to pornography and now strengthened and fed with all kinds of information on children’s overexposure. Another platform is intended to strengthen children’s digital skills from CM1 (age 9) onwards, and there is also the creation of an annual barometer to better understand the French people’s digital habits.
In these troubled times, it is more than necessary to ask how we should support our children in the digital world. Current events press on us more and more, and the approach the State brings to this subject is often the same : one problem, one solution.
Yet at 3-6-9-12, we have long been travelling around France and listening to families who have questions and worries. We gather the words of children who are overwhelmed by information and cannot digest it. More than ever we are convinced that effective help can only be provided by listening to them, supporting them and being close at hand. Indeed, the question of prevention goes beyond good practice. It should be thought of more in terms of human resources to support these families, who will not find their answers on platforms. The creation of the “campus de la parentalité” (parenting campuses) proposed by this action plan, which constitutes a trusted, local support offer, could be an example of this if access is simple and visible.
For a few days now, the dramatic nature of current events has been entering our daily lives. We hear everywhere that we must talk to children about the war, as we had to talk about the attacks that took place and about what Covid is. Talking to them about current events and getting them to say what they understand of them is the only effective way of protecting their thinking and helping them put into words the images that are forced upon them.
Let us mobilise in this direction !
