Italy's push for child digital protection

In mid‑July 2026 Italy’s EU Parliament delegate Sandro Ruotello urged platforms to improve safety for minors and called for tighter AI oversight. Senator Simona Malpezzi, backed by the Italian Society of Pediatrics (Sip) and NGO Terre des Hommes Italy, then introduced a bipartisan bill to limit screen exposure for children from birth to three years. The Senate advanced the draft on 23 July, proposing national guidelines, caps on daily screen time and parental‑education tools. Sip president Rino Agostiniani warned that an extra 30 minutes of daily use could double the risk of language delay at age two.

On 30 July a consumer‑rights group, Dalla Parte del Consumatore, published a practical vademecum aimed at curbing social‑media dependence among minors and their parents. The guide, distributed through a phone helpline and pharmacy desks, cited its own monitoring that 59 % of Italian youth show compulsive scrolling, 44 % spend more than four hours online daily, and 64 % feel anxiety when separated from their phones. The Senate bill remains under consideration, with added references to research linking early screen exposure to cognitive delays, obesity, sleep problems and future digital‑dependency. Both legislative and civil‑society actions underscore Italy’s widening effort to protect its youngest digital users.