The new networks asks parents to pledge to keeping children under the age of four completely away from screens and to limiting their use until the age of six.
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A new network in French-speaking Switzerland aims to limit children’s exposure to smartphones and the “all-digital” world. Launched on Monday in Geneva, it offers two pledges for parents of children under ages six and 15. It is also calling on politicians to introduce legislation.
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“We must not leave parents to deal with this public health issue on their own,” a spokesperson for the Geneva branch of the association Let’s Think About Digital and Screen Use (RUNE) told reporters. Alongside similar organisations in Neuchâtel and Fribourg, the association unveiled a new network called “Let’s Play, Observe, Step Away from Screens”.
The aim is to involve 200 to 300 families in each of these cantons in the two pledges launched on Monday, which are currently only available on the new organisation’s website. In the first, parents commit to keeping children under the age of four completely away from screens and to limiting their use until the age of six.
A physiotherapist who works with babies and young children with motor delays has linked screen exposure to difficulties with motor skills and communication. In most cases, the television or another screen is on when she arrives at families’ homes for consultations, the therapist said. When parents agree to switch off these devices, “the situation returns to normal very quickly”, she said.
According to a 2022 national study, 6.8% of those aged 15 and over are affected by problematic internet use. The new network aims to tackle the issue at an earlier stage and, in its second pact, recommends banning smartphones before this age and restricting screen use to communal areas of the home. Young people could only be given a phone capable of making calls or sending text messages.
The Geneva and Neuchâtel-based organisations are in favour of a legal ban on selling smartphones to under-15s and on all screens for under-fours. The Geneva representative also advocates for a public education system without tablets.
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Spain was the first country to launch a similar network in 2023. There is one in German-speaking Switzerland, but it is aimed solely at teenagers. Recently, Australia banned social media for under-16s, and several European countries are considering similar measures.
“This goes beyond” these platforms, said the association in Geneva. Young people are increasingly exposed to violent or pornographic content, the spokesperson said. In addition to the first three cantons, discussions are underway with canton Vaud. All the French-speaking cantons are being targeted in order to expand the initiative.
Translated from French/sub-editing gw
