CHRIS LOWREY
QUEBEC CITY Feb. 19, 2020
Pontiac’s Liberal MNA has asked the government to study screen addiction in the province to determine, especially in young people, if Quebecers are increasingly unable to . . .
pull themselves away from their devices.
Fortin wants the government to look at screen addiction and its impact on the health of young people.
He said the impetus for his request is the introduction of a e-sports sports studies program by the provincial government.
E-sports is one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries as millions of people watch others compete in video game competitions.
“We have a genuine worry about the impact of too much screen time and the different types of screen time on the health of our children,” Fortin said.
Fortin asked the government to form a parliamentary committee to look into the issue.
The CAQ government requested that a forum be held where experts could give their opinions on the subject.
Fortin said he found some of the information contained in the forum alarming.
“We heard from experts that said that nine minutes of screen time in the morning for the child can impact their ability to study during the daytime at school,” Fortin said.
Fortin also said that, according to the experts, the average Quebec teenager spends between six and eight hours per day looking at a screen.
Fortin said that average should be around two hours.
Now that the forum is finished, Fortin is hopeful that it gave the government the information it needs to look into screen addiction further.
“We’ve got a huge mountain to climb to ensure that, as parents, we have the tools to kind of fight that fight with our kids,” Fortin said. “Which, in some cases, is a daily struggle for a lot of parents in this province.”
