France Télévisions screen addiction programming, Digi Mart USA News: Excessive screen use has become a societal and public health concern worldwide, and France Télévisions continues to run editorial and educational initiatives aimed at raising awareness among its audiences. The issue is part of daily life for families and the education community.
Following the national advertising campaign launched by France Télévisions at the start of the 2026 school year, built on the idea that a screen can inspire time away from screens, La 1ère is airing a special programming lineup. It includes the new magazine Sommes-nous tous accros aux écrans?, presented by Marie Portolano and Jamy Gourmaud, along with several documentaries and films.
The lineup includes Lâche ton tel, a documentary on the immersive experience of digital detox lived by high school students; Replica, an observational film following three young Chinese women who turn to AI companions as love, intimacy and loneliness are redefined in modern China; and Influence mortelle, la face cachée de TikTok, a cyber-investigation that examines the normalization and sometimes commercialization of adolescent suffering online.
The flagship program Sommes-nous tous accros aux écrans? is the third version of the original Sommes-nous tous…?
format. It uses cognitive psychology experiments, inspired by scientific research and adapted for television, to explain the brain mechanisms behind dependence on screens, especially smartphones, and how that dependence shows up in everyday behavior.
In the studio, the results are observed and commented on with humor by comedian Paul de Saint Sernin and psychosociologist Sylvain Delouvée. The program aims to help viewers become aware of what happens in the brain when a notification appears, a video autoplays or a “like” is received, and to regain control over their screen use.
Lâche ton tel follows a class of first-year high school students in a school south of Paris who agreed to try to detox from their phones. Over the course of a school year, under the guidance of their social and economic sciences teacher, they examine how their heavy screen use affects their physical abilities, sleep, attention and health.
Filmmaker Thomas Raguet’s cameras followed their efforts, difficulties and occasional failures.
The documentary Influence mortelle examines how videos on mental health, self-harm and suicide attract hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok. It explores how algorithms amplify such content, how some creators spread misinformation or promote harmful practices, and how distress can be monetized.
The program is presented as an investigation into a system in which virality takes precedence over protection.
