Children from more disadvantaged social classes spent more time in front of screens during confinement.

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  • The first confinement linked to Covid-19, last spring, was a difficult time for many children.

    And especially for those from disadvantaged families.

  • Home schooling was not easy, the quality of their sleep was impaired, their family relationships were often strained, and they suffered more emotional difficulties.

Less social interactions, less school, less leisure ... The children paid a heavy price during the first confinement.

But those from the poorest families suffered even more from the situation.

We suspected it, but an INED study published this Thursday, and which analyzed the daily lives of children aged 8-9, proves it.

Lessons which are particularly interesting as the hypothesis of a third confinement has been strengthening in recent weeks.

It is clear that confinement first made their school learning more complex.

All social categories combined, two thirds of children worked less than three hours a day.

"This is not much compared to the usual school time", underlines Bertrand Geay, professor in political science at the University of Picardy and researcher at INED.

And as in France, the educational level of young people is very correlated with their social background, this compressed working time may have made it more difficult for children from the most disadvantaged families to acquire knowledge.

Difficult conditions for working

However, it is in modest backgrounds that children have received the most quantitative assistance from their parents.

“Because they were keen that their children do not drop out during confinement,” underlines Xavier Thierry, researcher at INED.

But if they spent more time on their children's notebooks than parents from well-off backgrounds, it is also because they had more difficulty in home schooling: "Homework has taken over. more time, some parents having had difficulty understanding the instructions and expectations of teachers.

They are often less close to the school culture than parents from the wealthiest classes, ”emphasizes Bertrand Geay.

Another obstacle: 35% of children from all backgrounds could not easily isolate themselves to work.

“However, we know that disadvantaged families are more likely to live in housing where the occupancy rate is high.

This does not always allow you to have a room to do your homework, ”notes Bertrand Geay.

More screen time

Apart from school work, children did not benefit from the same diversity of activities depending on their environment.

Children living in predominantly working-class or employed households consumed more screens than the children of executives (respectively 2.7 and twice as many).

Knowing that all backgrounds combined, children spent an average of 2h45 per day on screens in all their forms (television, video games, social networks).

“Outside of confinement, the regulation of screen time is stricter in well-off families, who have more confidence in other activities (sports, games, books, artistic practices, etc.) to distract and awaken children.

», Indicates Bertrand Geay.

"And the probability of spending more time on screens increases if you live in a small apartment", adds Xavier Thierry.

Another negative effect of confinement: families from modest backgrounds were more likely to see their relationships deteriorate.

“We saw it above all when the parents were not working or when their financial situation deteriorated.

Housing conditions were also decisive: families living in small dwellings without balconies toasted more, leading to more frequent conflicts, ”notes Xavier Thierry.

Emotional difficulties

Children from the poorest families are also those whose quality of sleep has deteriorated the most.

“We can correlate this with excessive screen time and the disruption of their daily rhythm,” Bertrand Geay analyzes.

Finally, children from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to suffer from emotional difficulties such as isolation, anxiety or impulsivity.

"Children with these disorders are over-represented in households with the lowest incomes, especially those facing a drop in income during confinement (19%)", underlines Xavier Thierry.

Because the parents' problems always end up affecting the children.

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  • Coronavirus

  • Family

  • Child

  • Society

  • Confinement