Nissan Tzur

In an open letter to the government, five French health authorities warn that exposure to screens delays and alters brain development.

Medical experts in France warn that exposure to screens under the age of 6 can damage brain development.

In an open letter to the French government, medical experts from five leading health organizations in France claim that children under the age of six should not be exposed to screens of any kind. "Television, tablets, computers, video games and smartphones have already had a great impact on a young generation that has been sacrificed on the altar of ignorance. Worse, they inhibit and alter brain development and cause a lasting change in children's health and intellectual abilities," the experts say.

The letter is signed by medical experts from the associations of pediatrics, public health, ophthalmology, child and adolescent psychiatry, and environmental health.

 
In the letter, they call on the French government to "urgently rethink public policy to protect future generations."

According to the current recommendations in France, children should not be exposed to any type of screens under age three, while between three and six, it is recommended that they be exposed to screens "only for occasional use" and for a short period of time every day. The experts also suggest that the use of screens in elementary schools and kindergartens should be banned.

"Neither screen technology nor its content, including so-called 'educational' content, is adapted to a small and developing brain. Children are not miniature adults: their needs are different. Health professionals and early childhood teachers observe the damage caused by regular exposure to screens every day, before children enter primary school: language delay, attention deficit disorder, memory problems, and motor restlessness. No one would think of letting a child under the age of six cross the road on their own. Why, then, expose them to a screen when it harms their health and intellectual future?" the French health experts write.