Experts are working on a “Digital Nutri-Score” to protect children and teenagers

On supermarket shelves, it's almost impossible to miss: the Nutri-Score alerts consumers, on a scale from A to E, to the quality (or lack thereof) of a product. Transpose this principle from the shelves to the internet and you get the "Digital Nutri-Score," an initiative designed to assess the quality of content consumed by children.

This project, led by an independent group of experts, aims to guide parents in their children's digital consumption. "The idea is to implement a simple solution for everyone, children and parents alike, and to encourage platforms to evolve their content," explains designer Maëlle Chassard .

Although the initiative is still in its infancy, the digital Nutri-Score should also work in practice with a rating system from A to E, established by the project participants based on several educational and cognitive criteria, such as language or vocabulary development.

Similar to the PEGI video game rating system, "a small logo must be visible next to or at the beginning of the content," explains Maëlle Chassard. While she doesn't yet know which platforms will be targeted, the co-founder of Lunii story boxes intends to target an age group and a type of content for the first version of the digital Nutri-Score, which should be launched by the end of 2026. For example, cartoons for 6-10 year-olds.

This tool could become a pioneer in the face of sharply rising digital consumption among young people : 16% of 11-year-olds and 40% of 15-year-olds sleep on average two hours less than necessary during the week, according to the report " Children and Screens. In Search of Lost Time ," published in April 2024.

The announcement of this project comes at a time when the Minister Delegate for Digital Affairs, Clara Chappaz, announced on Sunday, May 11, that she wanted to accelerate the ban on social networks for those under 15. Similarly, former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal recently mentioned the creation of an "Addict-Score" to warn about the risks of addiction linked to screens. But, as Maëlle Chassard says, "digital content is too complex to be reduced to just addiction." On that occasion, she and her colleagues hope to meet with the government to discuss the digital Nutri-Score: "We are waiting for their invitation."