There is global chaos over the social media ban.
In the United States, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has been accused of creating addiction and related physical and psychological problems in minors who abuse social media use; in Europe, there are timid attempts to ban them, Australia has already implemented strict restrictions, and the United Kingdom would like to follow suit.
In Italy, the Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara announced a project to ban social media for those under 15 years old, while bipartisan texts on the subject have existed in Parliament since 2024, with other topics added, such as the ban on using messaging apps and preventing parents from monetizing the images of their minor children online.
SCHOOL AND FAMILY BETWEEN VIOLENCE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
The issue of banning social media under a certain age has returned to the center of the national debate after episodes of violence in schools. “Episodes of violence like the one in Bergamo suffer from the negative influence of social media, as demonstrated by several international studies,” Minister Valditara stated in an interview with the Corriere, speaking of “an explosion of this type of violence worldwide” and “an unprecedented spread of online violence.” In this context, he also highlighted the risks related to anonymity, extreme challenges, and violent content accessible to younger users.
Valditara has repeatedly emphasized the need to intervene, indicating 15 years as the threshold and citing international experiences. At the same time, however, he stressed that “banning is not enough” and that “the State can and must set limits, but without educational co-responsibility from parents, those limits will remain on paper.”
“What is needed, however, is a true cultural shift in the country, in which everyone is a protagonist, families and civil society,” he said to Corriere, insisting on the need for shared responsibility in the digital education of young people.
MEASURES ADOPTED SO FAR
Alongside the debate on the ban, the ministry has introduced a series of measures to counter phenomena of violence and youth distress. These include the ban on smartphone use at school, strengthening civic education with modules dedicated to respect, relationships, and empathy, and the introduction of free psychological support. “We have allocated 20 million euros for a psychological help campaign for young people: five free sessions with a professional,” Valditara declared.
On the security front, rules have also been introduced regarding minors carrying knives and the possibility for schools to adopt metal detectors.
ITALIAN STALEMATE
From a regulatory perspective, La Stampa recalls that parliamentary discussions have been active for some time, with several bills presented between the Chamber and Senate and then merged into a unified bipartisan text, supported by representatives from almost the entire political spectrum. The measure, adopted in September 2024 in the Senate Commission, provides for a ban on access to social media under 15 years old and introduces a change in the age verification approach, with the burden no longer falling on families but directly on digital platforms, which are required to prove that users meet age requirements.
The text also addresses other aspects related to minors’ presence online. These include regulating the activity of so-called baby influencers, with the obligation to allocate earnings above a certain threshold to accounts in the minors’ names, and introducing immediate protection tools, such as an “Emergency” button that allows young people in difficulty to contact the national child helpline active 24/7 directly.
During the parliamentary process, additional proposals have been added to the base text that expand the scope of intervention. Some concern the phenomenon of sharenting and the right to digital oblivion for minors, others aim to further lower the access threshold or extend the ban to instant messaging applications, equating them with social networks.
However, despite cross-party consensus and convergence on several principles, the legislative process remains blocked, particularly due to technical difficulties related to introducing effective and shared age verification systems.
THE INTERNATIONAL DEBATE
But Italy is not alone. The issue of restrictions on social media use by minors crosses several countries and regulatory models. Australia was the first to introduce a ban for under 16s, while in Europe the debate remains open and lacks a common line. The European Parliament has approved a non-binding resolution calling to set the minimum age at 16, while leaving freedom to member states.
According to the 2025 Eurobarometer, over 90% of European citizens consider intervention urgent, especially due to the impact on mental health and the phenomenon of cyberbullying.
