Italy weighs social media age limits as 77% of Italian teens say they're addicted to their phones

Italy warns of soaring digital addiction in teens, as experts link it to family and education problems and say bans on social media alone are not enough.

Italy is sounding the alarm over digital addiction among teenagers, with new figures suggesting the problem is far more widespread than previously thought.According to the country's National Institute of Health, around 100,000 young people aged 15 to 18 are at risk of addiction to social media.A further half a million are estimated to suffer from gaming disorder — a compulsive dependence on online gaming that the World Health Organization officially recognised as a medical condition in 2019.The figures show how aware young people themselves are of the problem.A survey by the Social Warning Association, a digital ethics group, found that 77 percent of Italian teenagers consider themselves addicted to their devices — yet many say they lack the tools or support to change their behaviour.Digital addiction among young people has become a growing concern across Europe and beyond, prompting debates about the responsibility of tech companies, parents and governments to better protect minors online.Educational poverty and relational issues"Con i Bambini", which has so far financed over 800 projects throughout Italy as part of the National Fund for Combating Educational Poverty among Children, has been following the phenomenon for some time.According to a recent study carried out by the organisation, educational poverty and relationship difficulties are among the main causes of digital addiction."Almost the majority, more than 75 percent, of adolescents living in isolation and addicted to social networking, games, have a distorted, dysfunctional or absent relationship with their parents," Simona Rotondi, head of institutional activities at 'Con i Bambini', told Euronews Next.'Banning is not enough'The issue is also at the centre of a debate at the international level. With a resolution voted last November, the European Parliament called for the minimum age for accessing social platforms to be set at 16.France and Italy are considering introducing a law to prohibit the use of social platforms by those under 15. A similar initiative is also being considered in Spain.'The legislative device is necessary but not sufficient,' Rotondi said."It can control, protect and safeguard, but it is not enough to change and improve the cultural situation of our families and our children.""The challenge is educational. It is not enough to prohibit, indeed we must not focus on the closure of the digital, but on opening up to life. We must reconnect children with the territory," he added.According to the experts, therefore, the ban can be a protective tool, but it cannot replace a structured educational path.Concerned parents, aware young peopleThe alarm is mainly being sounded by parents. According to a survey by 'Con i Bambini' conducted by the Demopolis Institute, 83 percent of Italian adults say they fear teenagers' addiction to the internet, smartphones, and tablets."We are worried, but we can't take the phone away from our children; we don't know how to do it. Institutions and schools must help us," said one parent.There is also a growing awareness among young people. "This is how we young people inform ourselves, we read newspapers less and the news goes through social media," a young girl told Euronews Next.'We can't prevent social media, the world is hyper-technological, we should teach how to use it consciously. It would be better to intervene on prevention rather than repression," she concludes.