Augustinians (SIP): "More and more fragile due to digital dependence, an explosive phenomenon"

This was stated by the president of the Italian Society of Pediatrics (SIP), who spoke today in Rome at the meeting 'Demography, a pact between generations', for the series of Adnkronos Q&A meetings

The digital addiction of the young generations "is a phenomenon that I would not hesitate to define as explosive and we must be aware that it must be considered and treated on a par with substance addictions. Today, more and more boys and girls are facing a whole series of addictions in order to have this constant and prolonged relationship with the world of the web, whether they are addictions to social media or games, rather than addictions to pornography found on the web. It is a phenomenon that must be understood and framed in the most appropriate way, and the best strategies must be identified to try to prevent our young people from entering into these mechanisms that strongly contribute to their fragility for what will then be their becoming young adults". This is the warning of Rino Agostiniani, president of the Italian Society of Pediatrics (SIP), who spoke today in Rome at the meeting 'Demography, a pact between generations', for the series of meetings Adnkronos Q&A, at the Palazzo dell'Informazione.

"Digital addictions are often not addressed and evaluated with due attention - explains Agostiniani - Yet they are not so different from substance addictions. Furthermore, they make the new generations extremely fragile and so little accustomed to dealing with real life. Spending a large part of the time in a virtual reality, rather than in real life, does not help to form stable adults with self-esteem, with self-confidence".

Here is some advice for parents. "Certainly, facts are more useful than a thousand words - specifies the Sip president - and parents must be the first to set a good example. Therefore, educating a child to use digital technology correctly means giving precise and rigid rules: no smartphones, iPads and tablets in the first 2 years; allowing their use for a maximum of 1 hour up to 5 years, and no more than 2 hours from 6 years onwards".