Raising awareness about screens: who to contact, what help is available, and how to maintain it over time

This article brings order. It does not repeat what is at stake behind excessive screen use — other texts in the series do that. It answers more practical questions: who to contact for what type of difficulty, what resources actually exist in France, how to make the most of a fifteen-minute consultation, how to spot your own exhaustion, and how to last over time without compromising your health or your relationship.

Who does what: the map of contacts

Around a child or adolescent struggling with screens, there is not a single contact who has all the answers. The subject touches on health, sleep, school, emotions, and sometimes online safety. Knowing who does what prevents asking the right question to the wrong person — and waiting three weeks for an appointment that will bring nothing.

I have this problem, who should I turn to?

A simple principle structures this table: health and well-being first go through a health professional, schooling through the establishment, online safety through specialized systems. When you hesitate between two doors, choose the one that seems most accessible to you and let it guide you. No professional will blame you for "not being in the right place": everyone knows how to refer you to the right contact.

Raising awareness about screens: help and support, what really exists

The systems have different names, sometimes change their designation, and see their conditions evolve. To avoid getting lost, it is better to think in terms of major families of needs. First, identify which family you belong to, then ask for the exact name of the applicable system where you live. Here are the categories that appear everywhere.

French resources to know

In France, several resources exist, often free, yet little used due to lack of awareness. Without going into detail about conditions that change regularly, here are the main ones; always check their scope and current terms with the organization itself.

• The Youth House (MDA). A multidisciplinary welcome place for 11-25 year-olds and their families. You can go there without an appointment in many departments, talk to a professional, be listened to, and get guidance. It is often the gentlest entry point for a teenager who refuses "the therapist".
• The Youth Listening Reception Point (PAEJ). A nearby, free, and confidential space to talk about discomfort before it settles in. No need for a "real" problem to go there: that's precisely the point.
• The Young Consumers Consultation (CJC). Originally designed for substances, it also welcomes problematic screen and video game use. Free, anonymous, also open to parents who come alone.
• The Medico-Psychological Center (CMP). Public structure for psychological and psychiatric care, with a children-adolescents sector. Consultations are covered; waiting times can be long, hence the importance of seeking other support in parallel.
• National numbers. A dedicated number for digital violence and cyberbullying, a number against school bullying, reporting platforms for illegal content: they listen, advise, and help to act. Updated contact information is published by public services.
• The reimbursed psychological support scheme. Sessions with a partner psychologist may be covered under evolving conditions. Inquire about the current scheme with Health Insurance or your doctor.

Beware of a common trap: waiting for the situation to be "serious enough" to seek help. Most of these resources are designed for prevention, that is, to intervene before the crisis. Consulting early is not dramatizing: it is giving yourself the means to act while there is still room for maneuver.

Where to turn, concretely

Knowing that a resource exists is not enough: you also need to know how to contact it and what to expect. Here are the most reliable points of entry, from the most immediate to the most specialized, along with what they actually provide.

One piece of advice applies to all these contacts: when you call, prepare a clear opening sentence. For example: "Hello, I am the parent of a 14-year-old teenager, I am worried about their screen usage and fatigue, I am looking to know who can help us and where to start." This simple sentence immediately guides your interlocutor and avoids ten minutes of uncertainty.

Contact details, hours, and areas of action evolve: always check the current information with the organization itself, especially for numbers and reimbursed services. If your child is already being followed somewhere — at school, with a professional — ask that person which resources they recommend: it is often the shortest path.

Prepare a useful appointment

A consultation rarely lasts more than fifteen to twenty minutes. Without preparation, it slips into generalities and you leave with the same questions as when you entered. A few simple reflexes change everything — and apply equally to the doctor, school, or psychologist.

1. Observe over the days, not the day before. Note one line per observation : what has changed, when, in what circumstances. “ Goes to bed at 1 AM on weekdays for three weeks ” is a thousand times more useful than “ he is always on his phone ”. A simple notebook or a note on your phone is enough.
2. Choose a maximum of three questions, written, ranked by order of importance. Beyond three, the last one will not be addressed. Put the one that keeps you awake at the top.
3. Describe facts, not judgments. “ He refuses to turn off and it ends in screams almost every night ” rather than “ he is addicted ”. Facts allow the professional to evaluate ; labels shut down the discussion.
4. Involve your child when possible. Depending on their age, ask them what they would like to say or change. A teenager who has been heard cooperates much better than a teenager “ taken ” to a professional.
5. Rephrase before leaving. “ If I understood correctly, we are implementing this and we will meet again in a month, is that right ? ” It’s the best filter for misunderstandings.
6. Ask who to contact between appointments, and in what situations. This single question saves you weeks of hesitation.

The most valuable questions

• Does what I observe fall within the normal development for their age, or should I be concerned ?
• Is there a sleep, vision, or attention issue to rule out first ?
• What signs should prompt me to consult without delay ?
• Is a firmer framework better, or a more flexible support, in their specific case ?
• Which professional do you recommend if this does not improve ?
• What can I do, at home, starting this week ?
• Is there an aspect I should monitor that I am not currently monitoring ?

Parental exhaustion: recognizing it in time

We talk a lot about the child and rarely about the parent. However, daily support for a child struggling with screens is exhausting: repeated conflicts, constant supervision, fear of doing it wrong, and loneliness eventually weigh heavily. Exhaustion does not announce itself. It accumulates over months, during which one thinks that it's okay, that others are doing much worse, that it's not the right time to complain.

If three of these descriptions apply to you for several weeks, it is not just simple fatigue: it is a signal. The best first step is simple, and often delayed for months: make an appointment for yourself, with your doctor, and tell them what you are experiencing. A collapsing parent means two people in difficulty instead of one — and a framework that becomes impossible to maintain.

A word on guilt, as it comes up in almost all testimonies collected by parent associations: no, you did not "let it happen." Screens are designed to capture attention, including that of adults. Blaming yourself for not maintaining a perfect framework is as unfair as it is unnecessary. What matters is not the past, but what you put in place now — and the fact that you no longer do it alone.

The right to take a break and seek help

Taking a break is not giving up. It is a condition for lasting endurance. Several forms of support exist: find out about those available near you before you have an urgent need, as access times are rarely immediate.

One remark comes up in almost all support groups: the first request for help is the most difficult, the following ones are much simpler. The blockage is almost never administrative — it is internal, made of shame and the idea that a “good parent” should manage alone. No one manages alone, and that is not the issue.

❌ To avoid: waiting until you are completely overwhelmed to seek support. Exhaustion makes every step heavier and reduces the quality of decisions. The right time to ask for help is when you feel it is becoming hard — not when you can’t take it anymore.

Balancing work, family, and support

Many concerned parents are also employees, managing by cutting back on their leave, breaks, and nights. Balancing does not happen spontaneously: it is built, with a few simple principles that prevent everything from resting on one person.

1. Find out about your rights before you are in difficulty. Some medical appointments or school meetings may justify an absence authorization or an adjustment. Ask your human resources department; advance requests get much more than those made in an emergency.
2. Distinguish what requires your presence — an appointment with the psychologist, for example — from what can be delegated or postponed. Not everything has to weigh on you, and not everything has to be done this week.
3. Explicitly distribute responsibilities among the adults in the family. A written distribution, even imperfect, prevents the spiral where the most present parent does everything and silently exhausts themselves. The framework on screens should be discussed by two voices, not by a single “bad guy.”
4. Protect a time slot that belongs to you. Two hours a week, at a fixed time, considered non-negotiable just like an appointment. This is not a luxury: it is what allows you to remain available the rest of the time.

On the daily organization side, some free tools lighten the mental load and shift the relationship from conflict to cooperation. The weekly homework planner and the backpack checklist make the child more autonomous and reduce reminders. A school gamification system turns efforts into visible goals. For adolescents who struggle with emotions related to screen time, the emotional regulation toolkit and the cognitive restructuring sheet provide concrete support. The entire catalog of free tools is freely accessible.

For younger children, replacing part of passive screen time with a chosen and time-limited activity often helps more than a strict ban. The COCO app, designed for 5-10 year olds, offers short games that alternate with an invitation to move, which helps to frame usage rather than endure it. For adults who want to maintain their own attention, the CLINT app and the cognitive tests can complement the approach.

Training, to no longer endure

A large part of parents' fatigue does not come from screens themselves, but from uncertainty: not knowing if a certain behavior is serious, if one is doing well, if one can insist or should let go, if one should consult or wait. Understanding what is going on transforms dozens of daily micro-decisions into assured actions — and reduces tension at home.

This is the purpose of the online training “Raising awareness about screens: understanding, acting, supporting”. It includes 18 short lessons, to be followed at one’s own pace, entirely online, with unlimited access to revisit when a new situation arises. It is aimed at both parents and professionals in education, early childhood, or animation who support young people on a daily basis. DYNSEO is a training organization certified Qualiopi (N° 11757351875) and provides a certificate of completion. The fee is €20.

To go further

These articles respectively delve into the mechanisms, concrete everyday scenes, and replacement activities. This article focuses on support and assistance: who to contact, what resources to mobilize, and how to maintain. The two dimensions complement each other: understanding what is at stake makes the approaches more effective, and knowing the contacts makes the understanding actionable.

Frequently Asked Questions