Quebec commission on youth screen time begins

A student puts away her cell phone at Delta School on February 23, 2024, in Utah. (Rick Bowmer, The Associated Press)

The work of the Special Commission on the Impact of Screens and Social Networks on the Health and Development of Young People (CSESJ) began on Thursday.

Between now and Sept. 26, the commission's members will hear from around 40 experts. They come from the fields of education, health and social services, public safety, law and digital technology.

 Among the topics to be examined are the time young people devote to screens, supervision measures at school and on the web, access to social networks, including through video games, and cyberbullying.

Also discussed will be the sharing of sexually explicit material, access to pornography on the web, mechanisms for creating dependency, and advertising aimed at children on platforms and applications.

Premier François Legault proposed this commission last May, under pressure from the CAQ youth wing, which wanted to set the minimum age for accessing social networks at 16 and limit screen time at school.

More and more studies are showing that screen use by young people can have harmful consequences for their health.

According to U.S. Chief Medical Officer Vivek Murthy, social networking is "driving a national crisis in youth mental health."

The special commission must submit its report by May 30, 2025.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 12, 2024.