{"id":2982,"date":"2024-05-15T10:13:57","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T08:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ludomag.com\/en\/?p=2982"},"modified":"2024-05-15T10:13:58","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T08:13:58","slug":"banning-screens-or-educating-on-digital-use-the-unsustainable-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ludomag.com\/en\/2024\/05\/15\/banning-screens-or-educating-on-digital-use-the-unsustainable-dilemma\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00ab\u00a0Banning Screens\u00a0\u00bb or \u00ab\u00a0Educating on Digital Use\u00a0\u00bb: The Unsustainable Dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the end of April 2024, the \u00ab\u00a0Screen Commission\u00a0\u00bb submitted its report to the President of the Republic to regulate young people’s digital practices. Titled \u00ab\u00a0Children and Screens: In Search of Lost Time<\/a>\u00a0\u00bb the text has since sparked numerous reactions, particularly centered around health issues. Implementing some of its recommendations, especially the prohibition of social media for those under 15, appears questionable.<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The 29 proposals oscillate between a \u00ab\u00a0total ban on screens\u00a0\u00bb and the necessity of \u00ab\u00a0better digital education.\u00a0\u00bb In response to questions raised by this apparent ambivalence, the co-chairs<\/a> of the Commission emphasize the complementarity of these proposals, which must be considered together. Is it really possible to both ban screens and educate on digital use at the same time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the face of risks, choosing to withdraw<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The heated debates about the place of screens in our private, professional, and social spaces are rooted in a \u00ab\u00a0risk society<\/a>\u00a0\u00bb particularly anxious about its future, notably its ability to cope with technological transformations. While there is an acceleration of these concerns, they are part of a well-known anthropological movement, that of \u00ab\u00a0moral panic<\/a>.\u00a0\u00bb This phenomenon of moral panic expresses a fear of destabilizing societal values, crystallizing around young people’s use of screens and the consequences of these uses on the mental and social health of children and adolescents, as well as on their cognitive development and general knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, an important and robust long-term American study<\/a>, conducted with 12,000 children aged 9 to 12, concludes without hesitation that there is no link between \u00ab\u00a0screen time\u00a0\u00bb and impacts on children’s brain functions and well-being. Additionally, in France, a large-scale longitudinal survey<\/a> involving 18,000 children since birth shows that social factors play a predominant role in child development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these scientific facts, the debate about the place of screens in our society is polarizing<\/a>, recently characterized by an ultra-radicalization of positions, which first and foremost hinders everyone’s understanding. At the heart of this debate are \u00ab\u00a0screens.\u00a0\u00bb The use of this generic term is itself problematic and the source of numerous confusions and hasty conclusions. The technical objects it encompasses are diverse, obscuring the diversity and complexity of their uses, from gaming to information, to communication. Distinguishing the activities<\/a> that use screens as a support is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaching Practices in Digital Education to Consider<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the evening the \u00ab\u00a0Screen Commission\u00a0\u00bb presented its report, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal urged \u00ab\u00a0the national education system to put its house in order\u00a0\u00bb to stop using \u00ab\u00a0screens for screens’ sake<\/a>.\u00a0\u00bb This statement is surprising. Many teachers and administrators felt attacked, finding the criticism incomprehensible given the invigorating pedagogical work teachers are doing in digital education. It is also puzzling considering the challenges they already face, such as protecting minors’ personal data<\/a> and dealing with (cyber)bullying<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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