A multidisciplinary centre
targeting Internet addiction among children and young
adolescents is to open at Rome's Gemelli hospital, sources said
Monday.
The centre integrates services already provided by the
existing clinic dedicated to internet addiction and the
prevention and treatment of cyberbullying, which has seen over
1,200 new patients through its doors in six years.
"Pediatrics must increasingly handle problems that have
behavioural and social implications," said Professor Pietro
Ferrara of the Catholic University's Institute of Clinical
Pediatrics.
"In particular, the voluntary reclusion of children and
adolescents who, according to the American Academy of
Paediatrics, spend on average approximately seven hours a day in
front of the TV or computer or on a mobile phone or other
electronic device, compared to the recommended two-three.
Similar figures have also emerged in Italy," Ferrara said.
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