YOUNG PEOPLE IN DANGER | TF1 | Reportages

Children and teenagers are spending more and more time in front of their screens: five hours per day on average. But are they aware of the dangers presented by these virtual worlds? Our investigation reveals the fresh dangers that threaten young people. In order to look like the starlets of social networks, many young girls resort to plastic surgery, sometimes to the point of obsession. By sharing their selfies, photos and their lives teens can also fall victim to humiliation: cases of cyber-bullying have rocketed over recent months. Social networks have also become the hunting ground for dealers who sell their drugs directly over their customers’ cell phones. And for some it’s the video game that is a drug. Almost one young player in 10 is said to be addicted to the screen. Sometimes they have to be hospitalized in order to reclaim a normal life.

In Nice, Augustin, 13, spends nearly 10 hours per day at weekends playing his video games. Apart from going to school, Augustin no longer puts a foot outside, preferring to play on line with his friends. Tanguy, his father, has to suffer the endless racket in his sitting-room and is no longer able to have a discussion with his son, admitting he feels powerless: “Since he started playing, he no longer goes out. Last year, he was invited to all the girls’ birthday parties. Now he’s not at all a part of his class. I don’t know what to do anymore.” In order to “cure” his son, Tanguy has decided to consult an addiction specialist.

Ilyas, a 22-year-old student, has consumed excessive quantities of a new dug that is ravaging our youngest people, but which is nevertheless on open sale: laughing gas. These balloons of nitrous oxide seem harmless to him, but they have caused him serious health problems. Ilyas is suffering from hearing defects, it’s been a nightmare for months. “I have a constant background sound. It never stops. For 9 months I haven’t had a moment’s silence. I’m ashamed of myself, ashamed of having done this!” Over the course of months and medical appointments, the young man will discover the seriousness of the consequences.

To look like her models on the social networks, Elena, 21, turned to plastic surgery, as do increasing numbers of girls of her generation. After breast enlargement and a liposuction, she has planned an eighth lip injection, but her mother is concerned: “What I’m afraid of is that you’ll fall into a vicious circle where you always crave more to make yourself more attractive.” But will the young girl be able to fight the influencers who are constantly promoting plastic surgery on social networks.

At age 14, at her screen, Louna fell in love with a young man. When she decided to break up with him several years later, he took revenge by posting intimate images of her on social networks. “My photos were absolutely everywhere, even on pornography sites, to the point where I ended up trending number one on a pornography site.” Louna reported it nearly a year ago, but her photos continue to circulate on the Internet.