Imagine a world where children spend their time exploring nature, building sand castles, playing hide-and-seek, chatting with each other, and where everyone lives dirty, slow, and happy. A world where the internet is used to feed interests, communicate in other languages, research, read, and get information, thereby increasing autonomy and learning advantages. The truth is that our children unfortunately do very little of these things. They spend hours glued to the screens of their smartphones or tablets, and their attention is constantly captured by notifications and visual stimuli. All of this has obvious negative consequences that have an impact on the decrease in learning: children have greater difficulty learning to read, write, and remember information. In some countries where the use of technology is already an established practice, steps are being taken backwards, especially with the use of cell phones in school. A decision, we could say, against the current to favor the use of paper notebooks, pens, and books, especially with younger students. Neuroscience has shown that some areas of the brain, essential for supporting skills useful for cognitive learning, do not develop properly if children transfer activities and experiences that they should live in real life to the digital world, especially those essential for proper training for life. It is therefore essential, in order to protect children, that parents set clear limits on the use of digital devices. If your children are in fact digital natives and belong to the so-called Alpha generation, if you are worried about excessive use of mobile phones, then this conversation with psychotherapist Alberto Pellai will be interesting for you.
The ideal age: never before 14 years old
Doctor Alberto Pellai, physician and psychotherapist of the evolutionary age, researcher at the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Milan, as well as author of numerous books on psychology, discussed with us in an interesting conversation, what is the best age to give a smartphone to children and the consequences of the early use of these devices in children.
According to Pellai, the ideal age is “14 years old. Before this age, in fact, in the development and maturation of the brain, mental functions are strongly influenced by emotions.” The psychotherapist – author, with Barbara Tamborini, of the book Vietato ai minori di 14 anni (De Agostini, 272 pages) – explains that before this age, boys and girls “are very vulnerable in the search for instant gratification, with difficulty managing time in real life with respect to virtual life.” After the age of 14, on the other hand, “they acquire self-regulatory skills that allow them to limit their behaviour in virtual life, undergoing good training in real life.”
The doctor highlights four main consequences of the early use of smartphones: loss of sleep, dependence, fragmentation of attention and the negative impact on learning. He indicates that today “children sleep one or two hours less than previous generations, developing addictions and obtaining poor academic results. It is also important to mention the general reduction in social skills, overweight and childhood myopia.
«Parents should set a good example»
Regarding educational measures, Pellai stressed «the responsibility of parents to have an educational plan for their children’s online and offline life», while moderating the use of electronic devices. «Parents should set an example», explained the researcher, clarifying the duty to «establish and respect precise rules to protect minors from the abuse of technology». To limit the negative effects without giving up the use of digital instruments, Pellai suggests interpreting technology as «a tool oriented, aimed at clear objectives, where the adult guarantees proper use». «The situation becomes problematic» adds the psychotherapist, «when technology creates an environment where the child is no longer able to establish his own limits».
Tools: parental control and educational contract
Often, these devices, which should be a useful and healthy tool for managing daily life, become reasons for arguments and conflict between parents and children. In the worst, not-so-distant cases, they leave the door open to more serious problems such as online harassment or possible addictions. Regarding restrictions on the use of mobile phones, Pellai recommends that parents apply some basic guidelines, specific rules. For example, “no one brings the mobile phone to the table” and “the smartphone should not be on after 9 p.m.” In addition, the psychologist invites “the creation of networks of parents or friends to establish common rules” and thus protect children. In short, the doctor insists on “delaying as much as possible the moment when children receive their first mobile phone.” He also proposes “drawing up a real contract between parents and children for the proper use of the smartphone, defining clear rules and implementing tools such as the use of parental control systems to monitor the use of the device.”
Clear rules are needed at school
To conclude, the psychotherapist recalled “the importance of educational policies, such as the recent ministerial circular which established that in Italy, educational centres must be smartphone-free environments.” He also stressed the need for state regulation to be able to protect minors, where they must make appropriate and responsible use of technology and information, preserving their privacy and respecting the rights of others, as already exists in relation to gambling, tobacco and alcohol consumption, highlighting how other nations such as Sweden and France have already started down this path.
