I was struck by the data reported on Saturday by the 'La Stampa' investigation on the half million young and very young people in our country who are addicted to social networks. This is a phenomenon that numerous studies correlate with the increase in increasingly widespread mental disorders, not only in our Z generation, but also in the Alpha generation. That is, among those born after 2012. It is no coincidence that they are also defined as “screenagers” for the time they spend in front of PC, tablet and smartphone screens”. Thus the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci in an interview with 'La Stampa' in on the occasion of World Online Safety Day. And it proposes “'pop ups' that alert users when the use of social media exceeds a certain time”
The minister is clear, he does not hesitate to define the problem as “a new health emergency, which is also manifested by the increasingly worrying spread of eating disorders, to which recent studies attribute over four thousand deaths a year among children under 24” . According to Schillaci: “After road accidents, this is now the leading cause of death among our young people. A silent massacre, in the face of which we cannot remain indifferent.” The minister clears the table of any misunderstanding: “I don't use it but I say that social media should be well used, not demonized. It is in fact undeniable that these platforms offer young people tools to create, maintain or develop interpersonal relationships even in the real world. There are studies that demonstrate how strong adolescent friendships can be strengthened by interaction with social media. Even if this ends up making those who are already rich in the sense of social relationships richer.”
The reasoning is this: those who have greater difficulty in relating are increasingly pushed towards a bubble by the change in strategy of new social networks such as Tik Tok, which with their secret algorithms propose videos and contents at an ever-increasing speed that are better suited to retaining people in front of the screen than to be shared with others. “In this way it is clear that those who have a problem, for example with food, end up amplifying it, for this reason – he observes – it is necessary to ask the giants who govern the world of social media on the Internet for more transparency on user profiling and selection methods of contents”. Before launching proposals, however, he is keen to clarify that “imposing bans on the Internet makes no sense,” specifies the minister, “both because of the ease with which they can be circumvented and because if we want to prevent 'Internet Addiction Disorder' we must starting from everything that can serve to strengthen self-esteem and self-respect, the ability to manage conflicts, the critical sense towards media messages and images”.
'Introduce pop-up alerts that alert users if they spend too much time on social media'
Immediately afterwards, however, Schillaci puts some ideas on the table for reflection on the 'social dependence' from which depression, anxiety, anorexia and bullying among our children derive. “I believe we should ask the web giants who manage these platforms to make an effort in this sense – insists the Minister of Health -. Accusing them of having 'blood on their hands', as some American senators have gone so far as to say, is certainly excessive, but also the debate that has opened on the topic, especially in Anglo-Saxon countries, suggests that the time has come to ask those who manage a 270 billion dollar market to do their part”.
Hence the idea of ”introducing 'pop-up' alerts that alert users when the use of social media has exceeded a time considered potentially harmful and which recent British studies place above two hours – he suggests – I read a survey according to which 7 out of 10 young people would even be in favor of an automatic shutdown system. But, without going to prohibitionist measures, it would be sufficient to warn them of the danger, perhaps providing information and advice on addiction to social media”.
One of the factors fueling the epidemic of eating disorders is the nagging revival of unattainable aesthetic models. On this, Schillaci believes “it would already be very useful if the platforms, and also the big fashion brands, highlighted when the images of those perfect bodies have been 'photoshopped' to improve the appearance of models and people”. For the minister, however, it will be useful also “educate children in the safe use of social media in schools, involving teachers, parents and sports instructors”.
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