Smartphones and social media, stop under 14 and 16 years: the appeal to the government

“Every technology has its own time”. This is the premise with which a group of pedagogists, psychotherapists, neurobiologists, child neuropsychiatrists and other experts have promoted a petition to get a “stop to smartphones and social media” for kids under a certain age. An appeal launched in the last few hours which – by mid-morning on September 11 – had surpassed the milestone of 5 thousand signatures.

Launched on the ‘Change.org’ platform, the petition asks “the Italian Government to commit to ensure that none of our boys and girls can own a personal smartphone before the age of 14 and that they cannot have a profile on social media before the age of 16. Let’s help the new generations”, ask the signatories of the appeal promoted by the Psychopedagogical Center for Education and Conflict Management (Cpp). The first acronyms are those of the pedagogist Daniele Novara, director of the Cpp, and of the doctor and psychotherapist Alberto Pellai. They are followed by the signatures of 24 experts and several representatives of Unita (National Union of Theater and Audiovisual Interpreters), including many actors, from Stefano Accorsi to Luca Zingaretti.

“While it is true that technologies often improve the quality of life, this does not happen when it comes to education in early childhood and primary school – warn the promoters of the petition – Boys and girls who use technological tools and interact with screens suffer two kinds of damage: one direct, linked to addiction”, and the other “indirect, because interaction with screens prevents one from living in real life the experiences that are fundamental for proper training for life. It is now clear that before the age of 14, having a personal smartphone can be very harmful, as can opening, before the age of 16, one’s own personal profile on social media”.

Experts point out that this is not “an anti-technological stance”, but the acceptance “of what neuroscience has now demonstrated: There are areas of the brain, fundamental for cognitive learning, that do not fully develop if the child brings into the digital world activities and experiences that he should instead live in the real world. Similar behaviors in preschool age lead to alterations of the white matter in those brain areas that are fundamental for supporting learning to read and write”.

The experts write that “in schools where smartphones are not allowed, students socialize and learn better. Before the age of 14-15, the emotional brain of minors is very vulnerable to the dopaminergic engagement of social media and video games.” Therefore, they conclude, “even in schools we must be consistent with what neuroscience tells us. Smartphones and tablets must be used only by teachers to enrich the teaching proposals without foreseeing, in class or at home and at least up to the age of 15, any independent use by students“.