The news in brief
In issue 474 of La Santé en action, Santé publique France reports that one in two people catch up on the news or watch videos at bedtime, and one in three do so during meals. The report also covers parents' technoference, children's screen time (the Enabee study) and the regulatory framework for the 2026 school year.
What the Santé publique France report says
On 9 October 2026, Santé publique France highlighted the report "Growing Up with Screens", published in issue 474 of its journal La Santé en action, dated July to September 2026 (Santé publique France, 2026). The starting point is a simple observation: French households have become ultra-connected. In 2025, a household owns on average more than ten devices with a screen (Santé publique France, 2026).
This abundance shows up in the most ordinary moments of the day. According to the report, one in two people still catch up on the news or watch videos at bedtime, and one in three do so at mealtimes. For one in two people as well, social media feeds the feeling of spending too much time on their smartphone (Santé publique France, 2026). These results come from a survey carried out by the polling institute Toluna Harris Interactive among 2,074 people aged 15 and over, interviewed from 26 September to 2 October 2025 (Santé publique France, 2026).
The report then draws on two national studies. The Enabee study measures the screen time of primary school children: about 1 h 30 a day for 3 to 5-year-olds and about 2 h 30 for 9 to 11-year-olds. Television dominates among the youngest, while smartphones and consoles gain ground from age 9. Children of less-educated parents spend more time in front of screens and more often have a screen in their bedroom (Santé publique France, 2026). The EnCLASS survey, conducted in 2024 among middle and high school students, shows that social media use grows in middle school and concerns girls more than boys (Santé publique France, 2026).
Technoference, attention and the regulatory framework
The report also recalls what technoference covers: parents' use of their smartphone, which disturbs their interactions with their baby. The word was coined to describe this phenomenon (Santé publique France, 2026). The idea matters because it shifts part of the focus. Much is said about children's screen time, but the report also stresses the example set by adults and their availability.
It also cites the Anses expert appraisal on the impact of social media on teenagers' physical and mental health. This appraisal underlines their mechanisms for capturing attention, which exploit the vulnerability of this age group and can lead to an endless spiral, what the report calls the "rabbit hole" (Santé publique France, 2026).
Finally, the report takes stock of the regulatory framework for the new school year. Parliament voted in July to ban social media for under-15s, but the Constitutional Council struck it down. The ban on mobile phones in high school came into force at the start of the school year. A new text on social media has been submitted to the European Commission, which presented the "Kids Act" in mid-September, a proposed regulation governing minors' access to social media. A law professor at Paris 1 university argues for regulating platforms, for example by removing addictive features (Santé publique France, 2026).
How to read these results
It is worth keeping in mind the nature of the figures. Those on bedtime, mealtimes and the feeling of spending too much time on the phone come from a self-reported survey: they tell what people say, not what a counter measured. A survey of 2,074 people describes a trend; it cannot tell how many French people have a disorder. Likewise, the Enabee averages describe age groups, not every child. Above all, the report does not speak of addiction: it describes uses and risks. The source we read is the presentation of the report published by Santé publique France, not all the articles in the issue, and we give no more detail than it provides.
What this changes
For the reader, the value is mostly practical. If one in two people looks at a screen while falling asleep, the bedroom is the first place to act, and mealtimes the second. These benchmarks apply to the whole family, adults included. For a couple, they connect to a very concrete question: who looks at their phone, when, and what happens to the time spent together? Regulatory news, for its part, moves fast and may still change: the ban that was struck down is not in force, while the phone ban in high school is.
What our in-depth page adds
Our in-depth page goes further on what the report leaves aside. Our guide to screens and digital use explains why medicine speaks of addiction for only two specific diagnoses, distinguishes three different situations when pornography enters a couple's life, details technoference between partners and sleep, and points to where to find free help in France, at a specialist centre or by phone. It also reviews the state of the research, with its limits, and the rules in force or under discussion.
Going further
This news item is part of a broader topic, which our page Screens and digital use covers in detail.