Fondazione SOS il Telefono Azzurro ETS

09/10/2026

Come stanno davvero i ragazzi oggi? E quanto la vita digitale incide sulla loro salute mentale, sulle relazioni e sul modo di chiedere aiuto?
Oggi, all’Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, Fondazione SOS Il Telefono Azzurro ETS, insieme all’Università di Bologna e all’IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, ha promosso un momento di confronto dedicato al benessere psicologico delle nuove generazioni, in occasione della Giornata Mondiale della Salute Mentale.
🧠 Salute mentale, social media, intelligenza artificiale, algoritmi, bullismo e cyberbullismo: tanti i temi affrontati da esperti del mondo scientifico, educativo e istituzionale.
Sono intervenuti Raffaele Lodi, Ernesto Caffo , Caterina Tonon, Michele Colajanni, , Filomena Massaro, Ilaria Cataldo e Annalisa Guarini, insieme ai rappresentanti delle istituzioni e del mondo della scuola.
Al centro dell’incontro, anche la voce dei ragazzi, con le domande e le riflessioni degli studenti dell’Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore Enrico Mattei di Bologna.
L’incontro è stato aperto e moderato da barcadaniele
💬 Perché ascoltare i giovani significa comprendere i loro bisogni e costruire, insieme, risposte concrete. Una comunità che ascolta è una comunità che si prende cura.

06/10/2026

Voti, pagelle, difficoltà e punizioni non si postano.
Dopo il primo giorno di scuola, le chat dei genitori e i social possono trasformarsi in una vera e propria “social-soap”: voti, pagelle, difficoltà scolastiche, punizioni, sfoghi e risultati dei nostri figli diventano facilmente contenuti da condividere.
Ma ciò che per noi può essere un gesto di orgoglio, una richiesta di aiuto o uno semplice sfogo, per loro può avere conseguenze molto diverse.
Scrivere nella chat di classe “mio figlio ha preso 9 in matematica” può generare confronti e pressioni tra i bambini. Raccontare pubblicamente una difficoltà nell’apprendimento può trasformarsi in un’etichetta. Condividere una punizione può esporre nostro figlio allo scherno dei compagni.
E soprattutto, ciò che pubblichiamo rimane online e può accompagnarlo molto più a lungo di quanto immaginiamo.
Per questo, prima di cliccare su “invia” o “pubblica”, possiamo farci tre domande:
🔹 Lo pubblicherei se non riguardasse mio figlio, ma un collega adulto?
🔹 Mostrerei questo contenuto a mio figlio chiedendogli il permesso?
🔹 Mi sentirei a mio agio sapendo che potrebbe essere ancora online tra dieci anni?
L’educazione, le difficoltà e la crescita dei nostri figli appartengono prima di tutto alla loro storia personale e familiare.
Condividere meno non significa essere meno orgogliosi o chiedere meno aiuto. Significa proteggerli anche online.

29/09/2026

25/09/2026

Protecting children in the age of AI requires a shared responsibility.

During UN General Assembly Week in New York, and Telefono Azzurro brought together international organisations, researchers, mental health professionals and technology leaders for Youth Mental Health, Human Development and Artificial Intelligence.

From international cooperation and children’s rights — with Pia Rebello Britto – UNICEF ; – United Nations Youth Office; – ICMEC ; – Common sense media ; Joanna Rubinstein Lotterman and - Secretary General of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights to youth mental health, with Harold S. Koplewicz, MD , Milham – Child Mind Institute ; , James Leckman – Yale ; and Anne-Sophie Seret – .AI / iRaise | Sostenibilità

The conversation on AI brought together Mishkin – OpenAI ; and Anne Marie Albano – Columbia University ; – .AI / iRaise | Sostenibilità and Vitulano– Yale

Moderated by Mario Calvo-Platero , the dialogue led by Prof. Ernesto Caffo highlighted a common priority: connecting research, listening services, professional expertise and technology companies to develop AI grounded in evidence and best practices, respectful of children’s privacy, rights and mental health.

The experience of TelefonoAzzurro’s listening and support services is fundamental to understanding emerging forms of distress and ensuring that innovation can lead young people towards meaningful human support when they need it.

Children must not be an afterthought in technological innovation. Their voices and wellbeing must help shape it.

TelefonoAzzurro FondazioneChild UNGA

25/09/2026

Listening to young people means giving their voices the power to shape the environments in which they grow.

Today at the ChildMindInstitute in New York, Prof. Ernesto Caffo joined the Global Summit on Youth Mental Health, promoted by the SNF Global Center at the Child Mind Institute under the leadership of Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz, MD and Dr. GiovanniSalum.

As a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Prof. Caffo joined Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth and Dr. MichaelMilham in the panel “Where Young People Connect, Create, and Share: Redefining Youth Mental Health in the Digital Context”, exploring how digital environments are transforming relationships, wellbeing and the ways young people seek connection and support.

A conversation made even more meaningful by the direct participation of young people.

Listening is at the heart of this challenge. Every day, through the helplines and support services, the voices of children and adolescents show us that behind every digital interaction there is a person, with individual vulnerabilities, relationships and needs.

Technology can create opportunities for connection and access to support, but it cannot replace trusted human relationships. And AI, while offering new possibilities for prevention and early support, must know its limits and create safe pathways towards qualified human help when needed.

This is why the digital future cannot simply be designed for young people. It must be built with them.

Their participation must be real, continuous and capable of influencing research, technology, policies and the services designed to support their mental health.

ArtificialIntelligence ChildrensRights TelefonoAzzurro YouthVoice

24/09/2026

🌍 Young people from different parts of the world, experts and an open dialogue on mental health.

Today in New York, as part of the United Nations High-Level Week, the final event of the Global Summit on Youth Mental Health, organized by the ChildMindInstitute, took place.
The panel “Where Young People Connect, Create, and Share: Redefining Youth Mental Health in the Digital Context” explored the relationship between young people, the digital world and mental health.
Prof. Ernesto Caffo, together with Laura Erickson-Schroth, Chief Medical Officer at The Jed Foundation, and Michael P. Milham, MD, PhD, Senior Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, took part in an intergenerational dialogue with young people from different parts of the world.
A moment to listen to the experiences, questions and perspectives of younger generations and reflect together on how the digital world is shaping the way young people connect, create and share.
📍 New York | UN High-Level Week

23/09/2026

🌍 AI and Human Development
Today, the “AI and Human Development” meeting was held at United Nations Headquarters, focusing on the relationship between artificial intelligence, human development, and the future of humanity.

Prof. Ernesto Caffo, President of Telefono Azzurro, met with Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, for a dialogue on human development and dignity.

The meeting is part of an international journey that has brought this conversation to Cairo, Mexico City, Xi’an, and Rome, placing a fundamental question at its heart:

What does it mean to be human in the age of artificial intelligence? 🤖

A question that invites us to approach innovation with responsibility, ensuring that artificial intelligence remains at the service of people, human dignity, and human development.

23/09/2026

📸 Vietato decidere, almeno per i figli degli altri.

Condividere una foto in cui compare il figlio di qualcun altro non è una scelta che possiamo prendere al posto dei suoi genitori.
La regola è semplice: prima di scattare e, soprattutto, prima di condividere una foto in una chat, in un gruppo o sui social, bisogna chiedere il permesso.
Non basta il “chi tace acconsente”.
Perché ogni genitore ha il diritto di scegliere ciò che ritiene più giusto per il proprio figlio.

🎥 Nella terza video-pillola del “Decalogo per essere genitore nel digitale”, ci ricorda una delle regole più importanti: rispettare la libertà di scelta degli altri genitori.

22/09/2026

Today, at the Clinton Global Initiative 2026 Annual Meeting, President Ernesto Caffo brought the international discussion to the relationship between artificial intelligence, young people, safety and participation.
AI should not simply be rejected: it must be governed and designed with people, rights and the well-being of children and young people at the center.
Listening to young people means involving them in the decisions that shape their future, while ensuring safety, privacy, access to trusted human support, and the tools needed to recognize and address risks.
Because innovation and protection are not alternatives. And because building the digital future also means not losing our sense of what it means to be human.

22/09/2026

Youth mental health, human development and artificial intelligence.
On September 24, in New York, during the week of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Fondazione Child and Telefono Azzurro will host the High-Level Meeting “Youth Mental Health, Human Development and Artificial Intelligence.”
An international forum to explore the impact of artificial intelligence on mental health, children’s rights, child protection and human development, bringing together the scientific community, institutions, international organizations, civil society and technology companies.
Prof. Ernesto Caffo, President of Fondazione Child and Telefono Azzurro, will open and close the meeting.
📍 New York
📅 September 24, 2026
🕝 2:30–6:00 PM
Discover the full programme and all the speakers taking part in the meeting.
👉 https://www.fondazionechild.it/youth-mental-health/