The initiative of the county council is not unanimous among parents. To “fight against a sedentary lifestyle” and “promote physical exercise”, the department of Sarthe and National Union of School and Secondary Sports (UNSS) have decided to distribute connected watches in colleges. Sarthe is the first territory to set up this experiment, one of the key points of which is the distribution of connected watches to the 8,000 middle school students enrolled in sixth grade each year.
“We joined the discussions eight or nine months ago. We wondered how to give the student the means to practice daily physical activity, while taking into account the problem of 11-17 year olds, who suffer from a sedentary lifestyle at the national level”, indicated Anthony Trifaut, president of the commission. in charge of youth and colleges Sarthe departmental council.
“Young people need a challenge”
The experimental phase, which began last June, currently concerns seven of the department’s 75 colleges. It should end “during November” and then extend to all Sarthois establishments before the end of the year. “We thought it was an innovative tool. It is in tune with the times. Young people need to be challenged and to surpass themselves,” added Anthony Trifaut, emphasizing that the experiment is based on the voluntary participation of students and families.
But according to François Perrignon de Troyes, president of the Federation of parents’ councils (FCPE) of Sarthe, the reception is more mixed within families. Aware of the public health issue, it is the device that questions and its “ultra-connected” aspect. “What is the contribution of this object? It’s a gimmick,” he said. “Okay, the objective is to give pleasure to children, but we have never replaced teachers with software”.
The county council, for its part, tempers. “It’s a tool that allows students to take charge. He alone will have access to his data and will interpret it,” reassures Anthony Trifaut, adding that only the data collected during group lessons could be analyzed. “National Education has an application called Tous en forme. It is through this application, when the PE lessons will be given to the students of the program, that data will be transmitted to the application, anonymously and collectively, ”he explained.
“The watch is more connectable than connected. The student can connect it if he has his own smartphone and wishes to do so. He can wear it when he wants: day, night or take it off for a week if he wants, ”says the chosen one.
Fight against the sedentary lifestyle of young people
In Sarthe, a department with the “Terre de jeux 2024” label, a distinction awarded to territories promoting sports activity, this project is part of a vast program entitled “sports health”, launched by the departmental UNSS in collaboration with the National Education. The National Health and Food Safety Agency (ANSES) had alerted at the end of 2021 to the inactivity and sedentary lifestyle of young people. According to her, 66% of 11-17-year-olds face “a worrying health risk characterized by the simultaneous exceeding of two health thresholds: more than 2 hours of screen time and less than 60 minutes of physical activity per day”.
Contacted, the academic management and the establishments concerned did not wish to comment on this program. A consultation is currently underway with the National Commission for Computing and Liberties (CNIL) to verify the conformity of the project.