Children and teenagers are hyperconnected from an increasingly young age.

Despite the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) – also adopted in Italy by the Italian Society of Pediatrics (SIP) – advising against the use of digital devices for children under the age of 2, a recent study by the Italian National Institute of Health found that in Italy, 22.1% of children aged 2 to 5 months spend time in front of screens (TV, PC, tablet, or smartphone), mostly for less than an hour a day. Exposure levels increase with age: when considering total screen time (ranging from less than an hour to more than three hours), the percentage of girls exposed to screens between 11 and 15 months old reaches an average of 58.1%, nearly 3 out of 5. More than 1 in 6 children between 11 and 15 months old is exposed to screens for at least an hour a day, with 3% exceeding three hours daily. These are some of the findings from the XIV edition of the “Atlas of Childhood at Risk in Italy,” titled “Digital Times,” published by Save the Children.

Social Media Depression
The more time young people spend on social media, the higher their risk of developing depressive symptoms. This new phenomenon, known as “social media depression,” has significantly increased, especially during the pandemic, which led to a surge in internet, smartphone, and social media use.

This issue was analyzed in a literature review conducted by the Italian Society of Pediatrics, published in the scientific journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The review examined 68 scientific studies conducted between 2004 and 2022, aiming to investigate the risks associated with social media use among people under 18, particularly before and after Covid-19