Blocking Social Media for Under 14s. 700,000 Veneto Students Demand It

Seven hundred thousand students represented by the Provincial Councils of Veneto have unanimously approved a proposed law that seeks to prohibit access to social networks for minors under 14 years of age. The initiative, promoted by the portal Skuola.net and born within the schools, is supported by a discussion process among students aimed at introducing an age verification system based on the Electronic Identity Card (CIE) and the computer systems of the Ministry of the Interior, along with a mandatory digital education program.

The proposal is particularly significant as it comes directly from those who belong to the first generation raised with social media, not from so-called "boomers," but from those who have faced growth alongside social networks firsthand. According to Alessandro Gianesini, regional coordinator of the Veneto Councils, the experiences shared by the students have highlighted how early use of these platforms has consequences for the quality of personal relationships.

"We were the first generation whose lives were exposed to social media from a young age, and we've realized that we've lost a lot," he stated. "We've lost the togetherness," he added.

At the root of the initiative is also a survey conducted in Veneto schools, which revealed that students spend an average of 5 hours a day on social networks. According to the promoters, this time takes away from activities such as studying, sports, and socializing, contributing to an increasing sense of isolation among young people.

The project proposes that access to social media be blocked until the age of fourteen. As mentioned, to make age verification effective, students propose a system that utilizes the CIE together with the computer infrastructures of the Ministry of the Interior. The clear objective is to certify the legal age at the time of registration and prevent any false declarations.

However, the promoters believe that merely imposing a ban is not enough. For this reason, the text accompanies the age limit with a mandatory educational path for elementary and middle school students, teaching a critical and conscious use of digital tools. The declared goal is not to eliminate technology from the daily lives of young people but to encourage its use as a supportive tool without it becoming the central pivot of their life and social activities.

The proposal has also garnered support from the President of the Veneto Region, Alberto Stefani, who has called attention to the risks associated with early and uncontrolled use of social media. Among the mentioned aspects are anxiety, dependency, and restlessness—conditions that numerous studies have linked by psychologists and mental health researchers to unregulated exposure to digital platforms.