The newspaper we learned yesterday that a family from the Mauricie launched a petition aimed at banning the sale of energy drinks to those under 16 years of age.
With good reason, the mother of a young boy was worried about the fact that teenagers could buy these drinks without any problem: “I am an educator in a school and knowing that it is accessible to young people worries me a lot.”
You know what scares me more than the effects of a can of Monster? Cell phone ones.
Security
Originally, it was by using the strong argument of security that companies convinced parents of the need for a telephone for their children.
Nowadays, it would be more appropriate to say that it is more of a handheld computer. It is mainly used for “gaming”, browsing social networks or watching videos.
Experts recommend a maximum recreational screen time of two hours per day for young people aged 5 to 18. Two hours a day is 3650 hours after five years. The “reasonable” graduate will therefore have spent the equivalent of four school years in front of a recreational screen during the delivery of his secondary school diploma.
For a healthy shift at school
At the Ministry of Education, there is a Framework Policy for Healthy Eating and a Physically Active Lifestyle. Thus, you will never see an energy drink in a vending machine in a school cafeteria. Paradoxically, you will see the majority of young people with a cell phone in hand.
Companies use effective strategies to create dependency. And it works. The number of young victims of FOMO (fear of missing out) is staggering. If adults have trouble managing their screen time, do you really think teenagers are equipped to do so?
The impacts on the duration and quality of sleep are visible. Many of us notice negative consequences on concentration, mood and perseverance when carrying out a task. We could also add the many cases of inappropriate behavior related to sexuality or the problems of cyberbullying.
Our responsibility
According to Desmurget, a neuroscientist, “many studies show the deleterious effects of telephones on cognitive and emotional development. On the other hand, none shows that children who do not have a smartphone have more problems with social integration, depression, suicide, academic success or sleep.
Not so long ago, teachers smoked in the school and students in the yard. You could drink and drive without asking too many questions. Today, when it comes to cellphones, we can’t pretend to ignore the potential risks.
If it is legitimate to want to avoid a tragedy by regulating the sale of energy drinks to minors, I believe that it is more urgent to put an end to the current horror film in our schools.
The increase in the number of zombies should scare us.
Reference-www.journaldequebec.com