Have you ever sighed in exasperation in front of your grandchildren glued to the television screen, their portable consoles or their telephone? It's true that they spend a lot of time on their gadgets - but no wonder for a generation sometimes called digital natives , and for which they fulfill truly essential functions, starting for many with work. It is therefore difficult to judge them for leading increasingly dematerialized lives, when they grow up in an environment that is becoming more and more dematerialized every day. Each generation has its own needs. And then, you still have to sweep in front of your door before criticizing the habits of the youngest! Because what about seniors? Are they spending more time in the fresh air or reading a book, or playing sports or pursuing non-digital hobbies? It would seem that this is not so much the case!
Yes, seniors sometimes struggle to keep up with the constant technological development and keep up to date with the latest innovations. And it's true that they look a bit silly to their grandchildren typing on their smartphones or computer keyboards using only their index fingers, just like when they take unflattering low-angle selfies in which their face is still marked by the uncertainty of their handling, or when they write text messages punctuated with hazardous punctuation (which remains a mystery, since the rules of French punctuation have not changed at the last news technology contact).
However, if they do not always use these tools in the most efficient and natural way, they still use them! Gone are the days when the only screen in front of which their eyes were damaged was the cathodic one, lulled by the cadence of Julien Lepers' questions. Now, our elders are as versatile as the youngest in terms of the diversity of devices used, being for many holders of smartphones and tablets – the latter being even particularly loved by seniors. That's not all, since in their use too, the elderly also mimic the youngest. A third of them would, for example, use social networks on a daily basis. Facebook in particular is already considered a social network for old people, a haunt of "boomers". In addition, this use seems set to only increase, on the one hand because younger people who are more comfortable with these technologies are gradually becoming seniors in turn, and on the other hand because the proportion of seniors using smartphones has, in recent years, multiplied exponentially, unlike younger generations whose members were already almost all users.
However, this does not mean that they spend particularly less time in front of the television, since half of people over the age of 70 spend more than 21 hours a week in front of this screen (i.e. 3 hours a day), and that it remains by far the screen in front of which seniors spend the most time (which is partly explained by the fact that in some homes, it remains on in the background of other activities). In any case, what emerges from these studies is — surprise! — that seniors are the champions of screen consumption. The study is American and no doubt distorted by the enormous time spent in front of the television and the tendency to let this screen turn, but in any case, seniors would spend an average of three hours more per day than younger people in front of their screens, for a staggering total of 11 daily hours.
If we reprimand children so much for spending too much time in front of their screens, it is good that this is not necessarily one of the healthiest habits. What suffers is physical exercise. Whether you're slumped in front of the TV or bent over your phone, it doesn't change much that you don't move your body one iota. A lack of exercise that is as harmful to older people as it can be to the development of their grandchildren. Indeed, these arrive at an age when the body is weakening, and therefore needs to be given increased attention so as not to waste away. It is therefore estimated that this time spent in front of the television would have an impact on the autonomy of seniors. Because if these are statistical values and it is of course possible to counterbalance a long time in front of the screens with regular sports activities, we can mathematically deduce that this time "eats" time which could have been dedicated to physical activity. Thus, those who spend the most time in front of the television would be more likely to find themselves disabled – which leads to a vicious circle, with disability making physical effort even more painful. Spending too much time continuously in front of the TV could therefore well lead to early entry into an EHPAD – where you then have little else to do but spend your time in front of it! It is at least recommended to take regular breaks, during commercial breaks for example, to get up and walk in order to combat these deleterious effects.
Not to mention only the loss of autonomy, the sedentary lifestyle caused by overexposure to screens and other harmful effects on the health of older people. In fact, physical inactivity is considered the fourth main risk factor for mortality. Depression, anxiety, osteoporosis or high blood pressure are some of the pathologies whose risk of occurrence is increased when you spend too much time immobile. A sedentary lifestyle even doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and, unsurprisingly, obesity. Other disorders caused by overexposure to screens are visual fatigue – we blink three times less when working on a computer, which ultimately leads to the evaporation of tears! — or even the bad posture adopted by some, especially on the computer. However, these concern less seniors, who still and always prefer television.
Of course, screens are full of virtues and their invention has considerably simplified our lives. This is why some abuse it! Thanks to them, it is possible to stay in touch with all your children and grandchildren, even when they live in the four corners of the world, via instant messaging or video call applications. This is particularly beneficial for seniors, who tend to suffer from isolation more easily. Having such a direct line of contact with loved ones helps fight this scourge.
The successive confinement periods have only driven the point home on this subject, but what is certain is that our lives have for years been increasingly digitized and dematerialized. This applies as much to seniors as to others, and it is even healthy for them to integrate into the digital world:it is becoming more and more disabling not to master these tools, which can represent a factor of additional isolation. Whether it's shopping, ordering food, watching movies and series in streaming, or even meeting people - with platforms specially dedicated to "young people over 50" as they put it themselves , for example — seniors' lives have naturally followed the same trajectory as everyone else's. It therefore seems obvious that they too often find themselves with their noses stuck to their tablets and smartphones. This is not a problem in itself:as with most pleasures in life, it is not so much the screens themselves that are problematic, as their potential misuse.
Anyway, the next time you scold the kids for spending too much time glued to theirs, make sure they don't catch you glued to your phone playing Candy Crush as soon as their backs are turned!
