The title of the event – “Beyond Screens: Freedom and Rights” – well summarizes the educational challenge of our time: on the one hand the freedom and potential of the digital, on the other the need for a conscious use, capable of protecting the physical, emotional and cognitive development of children and adolescents.
The data speak for themselves: in Emilia-Romagna, the number of cases treated by child neuropsychiatry services increased from 38,061 in 2010 to 64,895 in 2023 (+70%). Eating disorders (+483%) and psychiatric hospitalizations (+258%) are growing among boys. There is clearly an urgent need for reflection that unites institutions, families, educators and specialists to address the critical issues related to screen abuse from early childhood.
Early, unmediated use of digital devices is now recognized as a risk factor for both neurological and behavioral development. International studies, such as the one published in “JAMA Pediatrics,” confirm that excessive exposure to screens in the early years of life may be related to language delays, attention deficits and emotional regulation difficulties.
READ ALSO: “Screens and children – rules and strategies for balanced use in everyday life.”
The Italian Society of Pediatrics has also repeatedly sounded the alarm and already in 2018 published the first guidelines on the use of media devices in children aged 0-8 years, recommending that their use be avoided in the early years of life.
Particularly critical is the use of screens as a tool to calm or distract children. According to recent research by Konok et al. (2024), children who are accustomed to being soothed via tablets or smartphones show greater difficulty in handling frustration and anger over time. This is because the external digital stimulus replaces the natural development of internal emotional strategies.
The 2025 Convention will not only take a snapshot of the problem, but also offer concrete insights for building pathways to psychophysical well-being and digitally aware citizenship. Neuroscience experts, psychologists, educators, policy makers and social workers will be involved, with the aim of creating a network for discussion, prevention and educational innovation.
In addition, there will be an in-depth look at issues related to mental health, school inclusion, new models of communication between generations, and the role of public policies in building a healthier and more sustainable future for young people. An important challenge that concerns everyone, starting with families. Because, as the organizers of the event remind us, “sometimes you have to turn off the screens to rekindle life.”
Meanwhile, just these days, in France, five major scientific societies, including the Société française de pédiatrie and the Société francophone de santé et environnement, have launched an official appeal to ban the use of screens by children under the age of six. The warning is clear: “activities on screens durably alter their health and intellectual abilities.”
The call is addressed to parents, teachers, educators, pediatricians and policymakers, and is part of the debate opened by the report “Enfants et écrans,” commissioned in 2024 by President Emmanuel Macron. “In 2025, we can no longer invoke the benefit of the doubt: the volume of international studies speaks for itself,” the promoters declare.
Not even content claimed to be “educational,” according to the petition, would be adequate for a developing brain, and screen technology, even in the most modern versions, would fail to mitigate harmful effects.
According to the petitioners, the current message from health authorities-“no screens before age 3”-is now insufficient. It needs to be updated to “no screens before age 6,” in line with the latest scientific evidence.
HERE you can download the full program of the event “Beyond Screens: Freedom and Rights”
