MONTREAL -- The Parti Québécois (PQ) is asking the Quebec government to introduce a week without social media.

PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon made this proposal Tuesday, one day after a consultation was held on the health of young people in relation to screentime.

He is proposing that all Quebecers, adults and children alike, take a collective break from social media for one week every year to "break the solitude and hatred."

The idea would be to encourage face-to-face interactions, while also raising awareness and finding solutions to online addiction.

"Studies are starting to accumulate that say social media has a role to play when it comes to depression and anxiety, it creates loneliness and more hateful exchanges," the PQ leader told The Canadian Press. "It's a threat to democracy as well because it has created a lot of disinformation and propaganda."

St-Pierre Plamondon adds he would like to tackle anonymous accounts on the platforms.

"There would probably be less hate if each person was a real person that was identified," he insisted.

St-Pierre Plamondon says he also believes that governments should get involved in the composition of algorithms that encourage emotionally charged Facebook posts.

"It has an impact on our mental health," he said. "You can't encourage an addiction while your algorithm promotes depression, hate and loneliness."

He compares it to when the government slowly started sharing the negative effects of cigarettes, despite a mountain of resistance.

St-Pierre Plamondon says he believes a week of reflection on the impact of social networks, a public health issue, would allow Quebec as a society to make significant progress.

"I think we'll be pleasantly surprised by the outcome," he said.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 28, 2021.