Television, tablet, smartphone or computer: during the winter holidays, screens play a central role in the daily lives of children aged 3 to 10. A trend which will be confirmed in 2026, according to the OpinionWay survey for Tonies, carried out among French parents. If almost all children are exposed to screens during the February holidays, families at the same time express a strong need for time spent together and solutions to better balance uses.
Massive exposure to screens during the February holidays
According to the study, 96% of children aged 3 to 10 use at least one screen during the winter holidays, with an average daily exposure time of 1 hour 51 minutes. Eight out of ten children spend at least one hour a day in front of a screen during this period. The winter holidays are thus distinguished by a higher level of exposure than during school periods, where the average time drops to 1 hour per day.
If the trend remains stable compared to 2025, the study highlights a notable increase in time spent in front of screens compared to the school period, confirming the role of holidays as a time for relaxing digital rules.
More family time… but not without screens
The winter holidays are also synonymous with shared moments: 83% of parents say they spend at least two hours a day with family during this period, for an average of 3.5 hours daily. A figure significantly higher than that observed during the week during the school term.
However, these family moments do not always exclude screens. Nearly 3 in 10 parents cite watching cartoons, films or television together as a way of sharing time with their children, illustrating a cohabitation between screens and family life.
Reducing screens, a priority to better enjoy the holidays
Faced with this digital omnipresence, nearly one in two parents (49%) believe that reducing screen time – that of children as well as their own – is a key lever for promoting family time. Other solutions are also popular, such as programming dedicated activities (56%) or using screen-free educational tools, such as audio books or storytellers (15%).
These results reflect a growing awareness among families, divided between the constraints of everyday life, the attraction of screens and the desire to preserve more qualitative winter holidays for children.