Dear Director,
The inauguration of the school year in Sardinia, attended by the Head of State Mattarella and Minister Valditara, is a good opportunity for some scientific considerations in support of the ban on using cell phones and tablets during class hours up to middle school. Research on the subject supports this decision by demonstrating that excessive use of cell phones reduces levels of concentration and attention, interferes with learning and with the harmonious formation of intelligence. A recent survey by the Einaudi Foundation highlights that in the last 10 years learning disabilities in Italian students have increased by 357% and dysgraphia by 163%. Many researchers link this progressive deterioration of the mental faculties of young people with the incorrect use of the Internet. In addition to this, a serious pathological condition has become increasingly frequent: Cyber addiction which, like any addiction, affects life in an all-encompassing way. The young person is completely absorbed by the uncontrollable need to surf the Internet. He cannot do without it and, if he does not satisfy this compulsive need, behavioral disorders, irritability, anger, obsessive thoughts, loss of interests appear, to the point of neglecting every other level of his existence. In line with the most accredited epigenetic theories according to which in the still immature brain of an adolescent, negative experiences leave indelible marks like scars. It is inevitable that this interferes with the very way of thinking. To give a simple example, thinking is superficial and there is very little inclination towards accuracy and cognitive depth, thus precluding the very ability to understand one's role in the world. An act of government that finds comfort not only in pedagogical reasons, but also in public health and that is part of the perspective of facilitating, in young people, healthier and more creative life choices for the benefit of a better future for all.
Noemi Sanna – Psychiatrist
