π Society

Young people facing the challenges of our time

3 episodes

Épisode 1/3

Young people and war: a renewed patriotism?

On October 16th, 2024

4 min reading time

Anne Muxel

Research Director of Sociology and Political Science Research at CNRS (CEVIPOF/Sciences Po)

Half of young people in France believes that a war on French soil is possible, whether civil, global or nuclear.
Six out of 10 say they would be prepared to enlist in the event of a major conflict involving France.
Young men are more likely to show a willingness to enlist, but the proportion of young women is high (46%).
The 18–25-year-old generation has a close relationship with the military world, nurtured in particular by family transmission of war memories, school knowledge and fictional productions.
While mistrust of public authorities is on the rise, confidence in the military institution remains at a very high level, for this generation as for its elders.
Young people have a vision of war as deadly and destructive, and the Second World War is the reference matrix that prevails when it comes to imagining the wars of tomorrow.

Épisode 2/3

On November 6th, 2024

6 min reading time

Catherine Rolland

Project Manager for the Science and Video Games Chair at Ecole Polytechnique (IP Paris)

In 2024, a commission of experts appointed by the French President published a report aimed at establishing a scientific consensus on the impact of screens on young people's health.
In particular, the report condemned the phenomenon of “techno-conferencing” among children aged 0-3, i.e. the interposition of a screen in parent-child relationships, which can affect their development.
Another deleterious effect concerns the impact of blue light (particularly when it comes from below the eyes) emitted by screens on eyesight: it encourages short-sightedness, disrupts sleep and contributes to a more sedentary lifestyle, affecting physical capacities.
When surfing the Internet, young people can be exposed to shocking content, harassment, sextortion and deepfakes.
To tackle these problems, young people need to be educated about social networking by schools, health professionals, parents and the relevant ministries.

Épisode 3/3

On April 16th, 2024

4 min reading time

Guillaume Bronsard

Child and adolescent psychiatrist at Université de Bretagne Occidentale

Since 2020, a number of national and international reports and organisations have been warning of an increase in psychological suffering among children and adolescents.
This increase in the need for psychiatric care can be partly explained by the Covid-19 crisis, which has made young people who were already vulnerable, even more so.
Young girls are particularly affected by internalised disorders.
The situation is deteriorating, but only for a minority of them, who need more and better help than before.
The false impression of “generalised deterioration” can be explained by a better understanding of mental health issues.
For a number of years, child psychiatry has been faced with a major shortfall in the provision of mental health care, leading to a saturation of reception facilities.