In a Facebook post published on Sunday, Romanian deputy Raluca Turcan warned about the effects of excessive smartphone use on children. She said data from a World Health Organization study place Romania first among 44 countries for problematic social media use among adolescents.
Turcan said more than 22% of Romanian children aged 11 to 15 show symptoms of dependence: they cannot stop checking their phones, no longer have time for homework, sleep poorly, and become anxious and restless when the phone is taken away. She said the European average is 11%, so Romania has twice as many affected children.
On Friday in Sibiu she took part in a debate organised with the association Children, Not Screens. Teachers, psychologists, psychiatrists and representatives of child-protection bodies, public-order structures and the administration were present.
The deputy said she has launched several legislative initiatives. They include limiting access to mobile phones for the whole school day, including breaks, from preschool through high school; audio-video monitoring in shared school spaces; and psychological counselling for children involved in violence.
Turcan also said she wants to promote legislation limiting minors’ access to social networks, strengthening parental control and making social-media platforms accountable, including through sanctions.
She said the temptation to give a small child a screen to hold their attention, encourage them to eat or simply keep them quiet, followed by early and uncontrolled access to social networks, gambling platforms or similar tools, can create imbalances that are hard to correct in adult life, as well as vulnerability to online predators.
In her view, the Sibiu debate should be a starting point for further legislative initiatives, and the discussion should continue with the direct involvement of children and adolescents.