What is PAUSE?
PAUSE promotes balanced and mindful screen use to prevent the risks associated with hyperconnectivity. The campaign encourages young adults, children and their parents to take action to improve their digital habits so they can enjoy the benefits screens can offer, without experiencing their harmful effects. PAUSE is a useful and caring ally to ensure that technology is at our service (and not the other way around!) and to teach us how to break the habit of automatically connecting while reminding us of the importance of regularly putting our screens on “pause”.
PAUSE is a communication campaign as well as a year-round reference site providing information and tips as well as tools and resources for parents and professionals. Moreover, PAUSE organizes 24 h unplugging events and offers activities and initiatives for youth.
PAUSE aims to become a movement that encourages Quebecers to regain control of their screen use and prioritize positive connections that feel good.
Who is behind PAUSE?
The PAUSE campaign is an initiative of Capsana in partnership with the Government of Quebec and private partners and in collaboration with a committee of experts and a support network.
PAUSE is also in the field thanks to the precious collaboration of various schools and life settings that reach young people: universities, CEGEPs, vocational training centers, youth centers, summer camps, etc.
Capsana and the organizations involved in the PAUSE campaign include parents, young adults, and not so young ones, who also face the challenge of better managing their screen use. We are all affected by the risks of hyperconnectivity, thus the need for the campaign to provide quality information and tips that can be adapted to individual needs. What’s important is to talk about hyperconnectivity and to take action in our own way to promote our well-being.
The PAUSE team
PAUSE has relied on Capsana’s solid expertise in the creation of public campaigns promoting health and healthy habits for over 20 years. The PAUSE team is led by two passionate professionals whose experience ensures expertise in the field of addiction prevention, a key asset to help everyone, young and old, find balance in a world full of screens.
Julie Mayer – project manager
For several years, Julie Mayer has been interested in the possible impacts of excessive or inappropriate screen use on people’s lives. She holds a certificate in addiction studies from the Université de Montréal and was able to apply her expertise as a prevention worker and trainer of support staff in various school settings, and later as coordinator of prevention programs at Maison Jean Lapointe. She has also worked with experts in the development and evaluation of a workshop on digital balance as well as in the creation of a conference for parents of teenagers. Now, as part of the PAUSE team, she is pursuing her vocation with the aim of helping people develop more mindful screen use that feels good.
Carolanne Campeau, M.I.T. – advisor, screen use risk prevention
Carolanne Campeau holds a master’s degree in addiction studies and is completing a research doctorate in health science focusing on addiction at the Université de Sherbrooke. She focuses on addiction prevention and promotion of health and healthy habits. For several years, she worked at Maison Jean Lapointe on the delivery of the APT Addiction Prevention Integrative Strategy and trained education professionals in school settings. Carolanne is also a lecturer in the certificate program in addiction studies at the University of Sherbrooke since 2018. Both her background and many literature reviews on hyperconnectivity and digital habits among young people and adults make her one of the rare experts on the subject in Quebec, as well as a key member in the development and implementation of PAUSE.
Frédérique Brazeau – Addiction Prevention and Health Advisor
Frédérique Brazeau holds a master’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s degree in public health from the Université de Montréal. She is interested in promoting health and healthy lifestyle habits at the population level. As part of the PAUSE team, she works to promote the balanced use of screens among youth and families.
Aline Varlet – Administrative Coordinator
Aline Varlet has several years of experience coordinating activities in the field of health promotion, primarily at Capsana. She has been part of the PAUSE team since 2023 and, as a dedicated team member, she is recognized for her organizational skills, attention to detail, customer service focus, and proactivity.
Committee of experts
PAUSE is developed with the support of a committee of experts to provide credible content and interventions inspired by best practices. The committee includes specialists in the prevention of cyberaddiction and the promotion of healthy habits in young people.
Magali Dufour, Ph. D.
Committee president, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at UQAM, researcher at the Institut universitaire sur les dépendances, at the Centre de recherche Charles-Le Moyne, and with the HERMES team
About our expert
Magali Dufour, Ph. D.
Committee president, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at UQAM, researcher at the Institut universitaire sur les dépendances, at the Centre de recherche Charles-Le Moyne, and with the HERMES team
Magali Dufour is a psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Quebec at Montréal (UQAM). She is a researcher with the HERMES team, at the Institut universitaire sur les dépendances, and at the Centre de recherche Charles-Le Moyne. For more than 10 years, she has focused on non-substance addiction, namely Internet addiction, and has published many articles on the subject. She is currently conducting various clinical and research projects among cyberdependent individuals as well as among gamblers. In addition to presenting numerous conferences on Internet addiction, she published the first research studies conducted among problematic Internet users in Quebec.
Jean-François Biron, M.A.
Planning, programming and research officer on hyperconnectivity and gambling at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Direction régionale de santé publique
About our expert
Jean-François Biron, M.A.
Planning, programming and research officer on hyperconnectivity and gambling at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Direction régionale de santé publique
Since 2005, Jean-François Biron has been conducting research studies and carrying out knowledge transfer activities for the Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal. He is the coordinator of a community of practice in addiction prevention, and his expertise on the issues of gambling and hyperconnectivity is recognized in Quebec and abroad. Jean-François regularly acts as a spokesperson for public health authorities. He has also produced several works that highlight the influence of socio-environmental factors on the development of behaviours.
Sylvie R. Gagnon
Clinician-researcher in addiction, CISSS de Lanaudière, Addiction Rehabilitation Centre
About our expert
Sylvie R. Gagnon
Clinician-researcher in addiction, CISSS de Lanaudière, Addiction Rehabilitation Centre
Social worker by training, Sylvie R. Gagnon holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Montréal, where she studied the social representations of gambling habits among adolescents. She taught the certificate in addiction studies at the University of Sherbrooke for 10 years, and was a clinician-researcher with the HERMES team until 2020. Ms. Gagnon is also a clinician-researcher at the CISSS de Lanaudière, and following the emergence of requests for help for problematic Internet use (PIU), she became actively involved in Dr. Magali Dufour’s research. Within this context, she coordinated two clinical studies conducted in addiction rehabilitation centres, which helped determine the clinical profile of problematic Internet users in Quebec.
Caroline Fitzpatrick, Ph.D.
Associate professor, Department of Preschool and Primary Education at the University of Sherbrooke and Canada Research Chair in Digital Media Use by Children and Its Implications for Promoting Togetherness: An Ecosystemic Approach
About our expert
Caroline Fitzpatrick, Ph.D.
Associate professor, Department of Preschool and Primary Education at the University of Sherbrooke and Canada Research Chair in Digital Media Use by Children and Its Implications for Promoting Togetherness: An Ecosystemic Approach
Caroline Fitzpatrick holds a doctorate in psychoeducation from the University of Montréal. She is an associate professor at the University of Sherbrooke and holds the Canada Research Chair in Digital Media Use by Children and Its Implications for Promoting Togetherness: An Ecosystemic Approach. Her research focuses on the origins of health and education inequalities. There is a consensus that certain experiences and environments early in life have a significant impact on future development. Consequently, an important objective of her research is to identify how individual (executive functions) and modifiable contextual (exposure to screens) factors shape children’s academic success and well-being. Her research findings can thus contribute to the development of preventive interventions and cost-effective social policies aimed at improving public health.
Anne Elizabeth Lapointe
Executive director of Maison Jean Lapointe (MJL) and of the Addiction Prevention Centre (APC)
About our expert
Anne Elizabeth Lapointe
Executive director of Maison Jean Lapointe (MJL) and of the Addiction Prevention Centre (APC)
Anne Elizabeth Lapointe has over 20 years of experience in the field of addiction, including 15 years in prevention. She has contributed to the development and evaluation of prevention programs at Maison Jean Lapointe and the APC. These programs reach 100,000 young people annually in Quebec. She is actively involved in the community and participates in numerous round tables and serves on several expert committees. She regularly gives conferences and training on addiction, and to date she has presented several hundred on problem gambling, behavioural addictions, and addiction prevention across Quebec. Ms. Lapointe holds a bachelor’s degree in communication, a management degree, a graduate certificate and diploma in addiction studies as well as in ethics.
Partners
PAUSE is a campaign made possible with the partnership of the Government of Quebec.
In Quebec, like everywhere else, the world of digital technologies is booming like never before. New tools are constantly being integrated into our daily lives and profoundly changing our relationship with others as well as with our environment. Even though this major change in habits generates considerable enthusiasm, it must also be accompanied by a reflection on the best practices to adopt as we all experience this great metamorphosis.
The Quebec government is therefore fully invested in the promotion of a balanced lifestyle among youth. It is proud to provide financial support to the PAUSE campaign, which aims to encourage sensible screen use and prevent the risks associated with hyperconnectivity. Young people are increasingly exposed to screens, and at an increasingly early age. The speed at which the technologies around us are evolving and the multiplication of the communication tools we use lead us to question our relationship with screens and how we use them.
This project is entirely consistent with other major government initiatives, such as the Plan d’action jeunesse 2025-2030 (Youth Action Plan 2025-2030; in French only) and the Plan d’action interministériel en dépendance 2018-2028 (Interministerial Action Plan on Addiction 2018-2028; in French only) led respectively by the Secrétariat à la jeunesse and the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the two key partners of the PAUSE campaign.
Youth are at the heart of the government’s decisions for the future of Quebec. It is therefore essential to continue guiding them so that they can enjoy a healthy and active life as well as take part in the growth of our communities.
Committed private partners
PAUSE continues to evolve thanks to the participation of private partners dedicated to contributing to the promotion of better online balance. To ensure the development of content free from the influence of our partners, PAUSE is committed to maintaining editorial independence.
Collaborators
PAUSE invites organizations and professionals to collaborate in the development of content, which allows us to feature diverse viewpoints.
Amélie Cournoyer – Writer
Amélie holds a college diploma in art and media technology, written press specialization, from the Cégep de Jonquière and a bachelor’s degree in literary and cultural studies from the Université de Sherbrooke. Freelance journalist since 2009, she has contributed articles to various print, TV and online media, including Coup de pouce, Le Devoir, Naître et grandir, Observatoire des tout-petits, Télé-Québec, and Unpointcinq. In 2014, she obtained the title of registered writer, which certifies her skills and excellent proficiency in written French. PAUSE collaborator since its inception, she contributes to content creation for the website.
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Le CIEL’s mission is to start a conversation on the issues surrounding digital technology that affect our well-being, for a more positive relationship between people and digital technology. The foundation offers self-defence workshops for youth and explains the latest scientific knowledge on the online environment through conferences and its social media channels.
Perspectives Jeunesse supports young people facing personal, family, school, or social challenges through the prevention of school and social dropout, school reintegration, and socio-professional integration. It’s also an organization that supports, listens to, and informs parents, recognizing them as key players in the fight against school dropout
The mission of the Regroupement des maisons des jeunes du Québec is to promote youth centres, which aim to help teenagers become critical, active, and responsible citizens. It also seeks to promote member youth centres and to defend young people’s rights across Quebec society.
Since its creation in 1991, Tel-jeunes has been supporting Quebec teens in their daily lives through their discoveries, first experiences, questions, and challenges. Our teams are there for everything from small doubts to big worries. Tel-jeunes is recognized as a trusted ally by all teens in Quebec.
Support network
PAUSE is developed in collaboration with a vast support network to ensure the campaign’s reach and to create links with other initiatives that promote balanced Internet use.