Seven hundred thousand students represented by the Provincial Councils of Veneto unanimously approved one bill which calls for banning access to social networks to minors under 14 years of age.
The initiative, promoted by the Skuola.net portal and born within schools, is supported by a process of comparison between students which aims to introduce an age verification system based on Electronic Identity Card (CIE) and on the IT systems of Ministry of the Interior, as well as a mandatory digital education programme.
The proposal takes on particular relevance because it comes directly from those who belong to the first generation who grew up with social media, not by the so-called “boomers”, but by those who have faced growth in the company of social media firsthand. Second Alessandro Gianesiniregional coordinator of the Veneto Councils, the experience lived by the children highlighted how the early use of the platforms also had consequences on the quality of personal relationships.
“We were the first generation whose life was exposed on social media from an early age and we realized that we had lost a lot“he declared.”We lost being together” he then added.
The initiative is also based on a survey carried out in Veneto schools, from which it emerges that students pass on average 5 hours a day on social networks. According to the promoters, this time takes away space from activities such as study, sport and socialising, and contributes to a growing condition of isolation among the youngest.
The project provides that access to social media is blocked until the child reaches the age of fourteen. As anticipated, to make the control effective, the students propose an identity verification system that exploits the CIE together with the IT infrastructures of Ministry of the Interior. The objective is clearly to certify the chronological age at the time of registration and avoid any false declarations.
However, the promoters believe that prohibition alone is not sufficient. For this reason the text places the age limit next to it a mandatory training courseintended for students elementary and middle schoolswhich teaches a critical and conscious use of digital tools. The declared objective is not to eliminate technology from children’s daily lives, but to encourage its use as a support tool without it becoming the central pivot of their life and sociality.
The proposal also received the support of the president of the Veneto Region, Alberto Stefani, who drew attention to the risks linked to the early and uncontrolled use of social media.
Among the aspects cited are states of anxiety, dependence and restlessness, conditions which in numerous studies have been associated by psychologists and mental health researchers with unregulated exposure to digital platforms.
