New Children's Screen-Life Balance Measures Promote Physical Activity

On Monday 24 February 2025, Luxembourg's Ministry of Education, Children and Youth launched a action plan dedicated to a "healthy screen-life balance" for children, notably promoting physical activity.

At the launch, Luxembourg's Minister of Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, presented a set of measures aimed at encouraging physical activities, motor skills, creativity and social interaction among children and young people, whether at school, in non-formal education or in their leisure time. These activities are regarded as an essential element of a child’s daily balance, helping to strengthen their social interactions and to develop fundamental skills.

Minister Meisch stressed: "If we do not want a generation lost in the digital world, which we know is not always beneficial for young people, we must collectively rethink our relationship with the dangers of smartphones and social media. For education, this will be one of the most important and urgent challenges in the years to come."

As reported by the ministry, the negative effects of screens and social media on the development and well-being of children and young people continue to grow, with scientific studies clearly showing that excessive digital consumption and a lack of analogue activities lead to problems with mental health, physical development and academic performance.

From October 2024, the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth put in place new rules for the use of smartphones in primary and secondary schools. However, to protect children's health and promote healthy development, the ministry’s plan is to create moments and spaces where children and young people can meet, move, be creative and have more experiences.

Minister Meisch added: "To keep children away from screens, we need attractive alternatives. Today, children are no longer used to getting bored and are quickly distracted. To promote healthy development, we must make a collective effort to give them back a taste for physical activities, board games, shared moments and the pleasure of being together."

The new measures will be rolled out from the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year onwards and include:

Three hours of physical education from seventh to fifth grade in secondary schools:
- In classical and general secondary education, an additional hour of physical education will be integrated into the timetable for sixth and fifth grade classes. For sixth grade classes, this measure will take effect from the start of the 2025/2026 school year, and for fifth grade classes from the start of the 2026/2027 school year.

Two sports and movement activities per day:
- Outside of class, students in primary and secondary education will be able to benefit from two activities each day in the field of sport, physical activity and motor skills. For students in primary education, the Maisons Relais (childminding services) will offer two activities focused on sport, motor skills and movement. These activities may be organised by the structure in partnership with the Luxembourg League of Sports Associations of Basic Education (LASEP) and local associations. In secondary schools, two sports activities will be offered every day as part of extracurricular and after-school activities.

A new mission, entitled “I design my school!”:
- A new extracurricular and after-school reference framework will develop activities for young people, such as youth spaces (Jugendtreff) and collaboration with local youth centres. Each secondary school will also be able to develop, in consultation with its school community, a project to redevelop its spaces, in particular its playground, in order to create friendly meeting places for students. The creation of toy libraries at Maisons Relais and secondary schools is also planned.

Sport and movement during the holidays:
- The National Youth Service (SNJ) will strengthen its offer of sports activities for young people, both on a daily basis and as part of summer camps. A project will also be developed at the Geesseknäppchen campus to optimise the use of sports facilities outside school hours. In a second phase, this model will be extended to the southern and northern regions of the country.

The Ministry of Education, Children and Youth stated that these measures show how essential it is that children and young people grow up in an environment where they feel good, balanced and can fully develop. For children to become and remain strong, a collective effort is necessary, involving schools, non-formal education structures and the family sphere.

SM