Push back time for youth mental health classes?

According to one expert, teenagers’ biological clocks don’t match the schedule that Quebec society imposes on them.

In the United States, for example, in California, a law provides that no class may begin before 8:30 a.m.

This move, which was implemented in 2019, had bigger consequences than expected.

“Mario Dumont” explains in an interview on the show that the benefits of morning sleep are many for teenagers who can get “better academic results”, have better “physical and mental health”, and even better mood. » Dr. Marie-Hélène Bennestri is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Counseling Psychology at McGill University.

“What is important to understand is that people who are lazy, who are on the phone at night, we often have the impression that they don’t want to go to bed. But they actually, on a biological level, have a change in their clock. So they fall asleep in the evening and wake up in the morning,” explains the expert.

Not only do teenagers need a lot of sleep, but “especially in the morning,” says Ms Bennestri.

So putting them to sleep in the evening is not enough.

“It’s like being told to go to bed at 6, 7 p.m. Even if you have all the good intentions in the world, it can be very difficult to fall asleep. It’s actually linked to their biological clock,” he asserts.

In Quebec, the logistics of school transportation seem to take priority over the well-being of teenagers, Mr. Dumont notes.

“It’s very unfortunate,” Ms. Bennestri admits, however, beyond school transportation, for example, “unions that are not always aware of these benefits,” which could explain the state of affairs.

“It will be in our interest to get everyone together and think and come up with a solution,” says the psychologist.