To help children and young people often fall prey to overuse and misuse of new technologies, is a collaboration between the Gemelli Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine of the University Catholic Centre pediatric interdepartmental psychopathology from web. The center, which was presented today at the Catholic University, extends the work done from the surgery of the Twins since 2009. The professor Federico Tonioni, responsible for the area of ​​substance addiction and behavioral addictions of the Gemelli Hospital, specifies that "often confuses aggression and cyber bullying, the latter is when the aggression is experienced in a persecutory ".

2.0 According to the pathology Tonioni, "the addiction in adolescents there but there are stages of abuse that do not constitute an element of excessive severity, abuse of a device does not mean being exposed to a risk. The problem - explained Tonioni - is in any form of parental absence, when the goal is to replace the parental presence: parents often put children at the computer smugly and use them as the babysitter. "

What does Peter Ferrara, professor of the Institute of pediatrics at the Catholic University, provides some information on the impact caused by the aggressiveness on the web: "There are anxiety, depression and isolation but also physical consequences such as obesity, hypertension and headaches." Ferrara also dwells on the signals to be seized to identify forms of discomfort: "First of all the behavioral changes, then sleep disorders and nutrition and a sudden drop in school performance." Providing other data, Ferrara speaks of "children and adolescents who spend on average about seven hours a day in front of TV, computers, phones and other electrical devices in spite of 2-3 recommended". Finally, Ferrara also outlines the profile of the victims of these episodes: "Often the determination depends on physical characteristics like dress badly and disability, but also sexual orientation and shyness." The new center will be drawn from a psychologist for receptions of patients, two groups of rehabilitation and support, three therapists who deal with individual interviews and medical specialists in training reference.