Serge Hefez, psychiatrist: 'Our children are too alone in front of screens'
On June 10, a 14-year-old student stabbed a school assistant at Collège Françoise-Dolto in Nogent in eastern France. The student was from a stable family background, he was not under psychological care, had no criminal record, did not use drugs and had not committed any serious violence, apart from two fights with other students.
An anti-bullying representative, a good student and someone involved in school life, he was described as "funny" by his classmates. He explained that he wanted to kill "a supervisor, any supervisor" after being reprimanded by one for flirting with a classmate in the schoolyard.
The first findings from the investigation revealed a total lack of regret or compassion, an inability to grasp the value of human life, a fascination with violence and death in movies and TV series, as well as the regular playing of violent video games.
Shift into another world
The description of this teenager and the shocking brutality of his actions immediately brought to mind Jamie Miller, the complex and magnetic 14-year-old at the center of the British TV series Adolescence, which became a global success. The series cast a harsh light on toxic masculinity, violence amplified by digital technology and the vulnerability of young boys, as well as the probable role of an empathy deficit exacerbated by screen use.
Like many, I was deeply shaken by the character. The hyperrealistic depiction of his frozen vulnerability, his ignorance of death, his emerging masculine humiliation and his lack of remorse echoed an inchoate feeling that increasingly permeates my consultations – one that I associate with a clear lack of empathy. This feeling is accompanied by my fear that more and more young people are slipping into another world, one where I can no longer reach them.
What can be said about this lack of empathy? For nearly half a century, I have seen adolescents in distress, as well as their families, and I know just how random the very notion of "normality" is at that stage of life. Is the 15-year-old girl who weighs 32 kilos and who looks at her emaciated reflection in the mirror with disgust, exclaiming, "I am monstrously obese," out of her mind?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
UK govt condemns 'death to the IDF' chants at Glastonbury
UK officers are studying videos of rapper Bobby Vylan leading crowds in chants of "Death, death to the IDF", a reference to the acronym for the Israeli army, during his set on Saturday. They are also examining comments by outspoken Irish rap trio Kneecap, one of whose members wore a T-shirt dedicated to Palestine Action Group, which is about to be banned under UK terror laws. The IDF chants, condemned by the Israeli embassy in London, were broadcast on the BBC, which airs coverage of Britain's most popular music festival. "I thought it's appalling, to be honest, and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens," UK minister Wes Streeting told Sky News. The Israel embassy said in a statement late Saturday "it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival". But Streeting, Labour's health secretary, also took aim at the embassy, telling it to "get your own house in order". "I think there's a serious point there by the Israeli embassy. I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said, citing settler violence in the West Bank. A spokesperson for the BBC said some of the comments by Vylan, part of British duo Bob Vylan, were "deeply offensive" and the broadcaster had "no plans to make the performance available on demand". 'A joke' Avon and Somerset police said Saturday that video evidence would be assessed by officers "to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation". Kneecap, who have made headlines in recent months with their pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance, led crowds in a chant against UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer had said the band should not perform after its member Liam O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. He appeared in court earlier this month accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" after a video resurfaced of a London concert last year. The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK, and it is an offence to express support for them. O'Hanna has denied the charge and told the Guardian in an interview published Friday that "it was a joke -- we're playing characters". Kneecap regularly lead crowds in chants of "Free Palestine" during their concerts. Their fans revere them for their anti-establishment stance and criticism of British imperialism but critics call them extremists. The group apologised this year after a 2023 video emerged appearing to show one singer calling for the death of British Conservative lawmakers.
LeMonde
20 hours ago
- LeMonde
Serge Hefez, psychiatrist: 'Our children are too alone in front of screens'
On June 10, a 14-year-old student stabbed a school assistant at Collège Françoise-Dolto in Nogent in eastern France. The student was from a stable family background, he was not under psychological care, had no criminal record, did not use drugs and had not committed any serious violence, apart from two fights with other students. An anti-bullying representative, a good student and someone involved in school life, he was described as "funny" by his classmates. He explained that he wanted to kill "a supervisor, any supervisor" after being reprimanded by one for flirting with a classmate in the schoolyard. The first findings from the investigation revealed a total lack of regret or compassion, an inability to grasp the value of human life, a fascination with violence and death in movies and TV series, as well as the regular playing of violent video games. Shift into another world The description of this teenager and the shocking brutality of his actions immediately brought to mind Jamie Miller, the complex and magnetic 14-year-old at the center of the British TV series Adolescence, which became a global success. The series cast a harsh light on toxic masculinity, violence amplified by digital technology and the vulnerability of young boys, as well as the probable role of an empathy deficit exacerbated by screen use. Like many, I was deeply shaken by the character. The hyperrealistic depiction of his frozen vulnerability, his ignorance of death, his emerging masculine humiliation and his lack of remorse echoed an inchoate feeling that increasingly permeates my consultations – one that I associate with a clear lack of empathy. This feeling is accompanied by my fear that more and more young people are slipping into another world, one where I can no longer reach them. What can be said about this lack of empathy? For nearly half a century, I have seen adolescents in distress, as well as their families, and I know just how random the very notion of "normality" is at that stage of life. Is the 15-year-old girl who weighs 32 kilos and who looks at her emaciated reflection in the mirror with disgust, exclaiming, "I am monstrously obese," out of her mind?
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Irish rappers Kneecap perform controversial Glastonbury set
The group has made headlines in recent months with their pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance, and one of their members has been charged with a "terror" offence for allegedly supporting Hezbollah. "Glastonbury, I'm a free man", said Liam O'Hanna, who appeared in court earlier this month accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" at a London concert last year. The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK, and it is an offence to express support for them. O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, has denied the charge. "This situation can be quite stressful but it's minimal compared to what the Palestinian people are (facing)," O'Hanna, wearing his trademark keffiyah and black sunglasses told thousands of cheering supporters, many waving Palestinian flags. O'Hanna also gave "a shout out" to Palestine Action Group, which interior minister Yvette Cooper announced last week would become a banned group under the Terrorism Act of 2000. 'Playing characters' Fellow band member DJ Provai wore a t-shirt dedicated to the campaign group, whose prohibition comes after its activists broke into a British Royal Air Force base and vandalised two planes. Before Kneecap took to the stage, rap punk duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in chants of "Death, death to the IDF", a reference to the Israeli Defence Forces. Later, Kneecap led the crowd chanting abuse directed at Starmer. Formed in 2017, Kneecap is no stranger to controversy. To their fans they are daring provocateurs who stand up to the establishment; to their detractors they are dangerous extremists. Their Irish and English lyrics are filled with references to drugs, they repeatedly clashed with the UK's previous Conservative government and have vocally opposed British rule in Northern Ireland. The group apologised this year after a 2023 video emerged appearing to show one singer calling for the death of British Conservative MPs. Two MPs have been murdered in Britain in the past nine years and many of them worry about their safety. But Kneecap deny the terrorism charge and say the video featuring the Hezbollah flag has been taken out of context. Asked whether he regretted waving it, and other comments caught on camera, Chara told the Guardian in an interview published Friday: "Why should I regret it? It was a joke -- we're playing characters." Glastonbury rejects criticism Since O'Hanna was charged, the group has been pulled from a slew of summer gigs, including a Scottish festival appearance and various performances in Germany. But Glastonbury organisers defied Starmer who had said it was not "appropriate" for Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury, one of the country's biggest and most famous music festivals. "People that don't like the politics of the event can go somewhere else," Michael Eavis, co-founder of the festival said in AN article published in a free newspaper for festival-goers. Public broadcaster the BBC faced pressure not to air the concert. In statement Saturday, a spokesperson for the broadcaster said the performance would not be shown live but would likely be available on-demand afterwards. © 2025 AFP
