Preventing Screen Addiction in Toddlers: Innovative Workshops Offered to Nursery Schools

It’s a certainty, screens have invaded our lives. But do they also have to fill that of toddlers? To make parents and teachers aware of the consequences of excessive addiction to tablets, TVs and smartphones, the Grand Saumurois MDS team has developed 5 interactive and fun workshops to carry out with children. These activities are offered to nursery schools in the area. Nursery rhymes, board games or tales: the prevention referents and Maternal and Child Protection professionals vary the approaches and meet the parents at the end of each day. An innovative initiative which is intended to be generalized in the Departmental Solidarity Houses.

Clémence Pigale, childcare worker at the MDS Angers Center, and Audrey Dominokowski, prevention referent at the Grand Saumurois MDS, present this approach and give advice to parents.

What observation do you make of the use of screens by children?

Audrey Dominokowski : “The rule says that you shouldn’t have a screen before 3 years old and a video game before 6 years old. Screens should be avoided at the table, in the morning, in the bedroom and before going to bed. But the observation, which is made in particular during health checks in nursery school, is that from an early age, children can become “addicted”. They use their parents’ old smartphones, for example. The consequences are real: fatigue, loss of concentration, mobility problems, socialization problems… By being left to their own devices, children are exposed to a lot of advertising and unsuitable programs. »

Clemence Pigale : “School principals are worried and ready to talk. And this problem is not linked to social origin: there are as many families concerned in public schools as in private ones. We see that parents are often a bit overwhelmed. They put the older ones in front of the television to take care of the little ones, for example. They are therefore very interested, very seeking advice. »

What would that advice be?

C.P. “It is important to explain to children the consequences of too frequent use of tablets or smartphones. You have to set rules, but also listen to the ideas they may have to do something else. It doesn’t matter if sometimes they get bored: you have to avoid the syndrome of overcrowding, of finding something to do at all costs. Boredom also stimulates the imagination. You have to be a good role model: a child who sees his parents constantly on their phone will want to imitate them”.

A.D. :
“This is one of the ideas that we put forward in the workshops. The box with screens, in which everyone comes to store their smartphones, or the “challenge of the day” cards: watch a film but together, find an outdoor family activity, take out a board game… . »

Are these workshops to be generalized throughout Maine-et-Loire?

A.D. :“The initiative was launched in 2022, in Doué and Vivy, then the MDS team from Grand Saumurois moved this year to the schools of Allonnes and Montreuil-Bellay. The demand is there, some schools even want to decline them for older children. So the ultimate goal is to offer an educational “suitcase” that will contain five workshops to run with the children, as well as practical posters for the parents”.

C.P.“What is interesting is that this screen health problem can be reversible. When we stop the screens, the child’s behavior changes significantly over the weeks. The difference is really noticeable.”

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