The mental health of young Italians:
a silent emergency

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a devastating mark on the mental health of young Italians, with consequences that continue to manifest in a worrying manner. 49.4% of young Italians aged between 18 and 25 stated that they suffered from anxiety and depression in the years following the health emergency (Censis, National Youth Agency & National Youth Council, 2022). Over 700.000 young Italians under 25 live with mental health problems, with anxiety and depression among the most widespread, according to the OECD report “Promoting good mental health in children and young adults” (2024).

Prolonged isolation, remote learning, and the loss of routine and social interaction have hit a generation hard during a crucial phase of psychosocial development. 41% of Italian adolescents believe that their mental health has been negatively affected by the pandemic, with a particularly marked impact on girls: 52% of females report a negative impact compared to 31% of males (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, HBSC 2022 survey). The mental health index among adolescents plummeted in just one year from 73.9 to 70.3 between 2020 and 2021 (Istat, Bes).

Child and adolescent neuropsychiatry services are at breaking point. At the Bambino Gesù Children Hospital in Rome, neuropsychiatric consultations in the emergency department rose from 237 in 2013 to 1.415 in 2023, an increase of 500% (Vicari, 2024). Admissions for self-harm rose from 25 in 2013 to 607 in 2023. The Sicilian Section of SINPIA reports an “exponential growth in emergency department admissions” and an “unstoppable and worrying increase in psychiatric disorders in the developmental age”, particularly anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, eating disorders, self-harm, and suicidality (SINPIA Sicilia, 2025).

In 2023, the total number of emergency department admissions for psychiatric disorders was 573.663, equal to 3.1% of total admissions, with 13% requiring hospitalisation (Ministry of Health Mental Health Report, 2023). Waiting lists for local community services are dramatically long, while specialised facilities and dedicated professionals are in short supply.

The pandemic has led to a 25% increase in cases of anxiety, depression, and loneliness globally (WHO), aggravating the personal, social, and family burden. Eating disorders, self-harm, and screen addiction have grown alarmingly. In 2022, there were 3.934 suicides in Italy, the highest figure since 2015, confirming a phenomenon in constant growth.

Sources and studies of interest for further information:

• Censis, National Youth Agency, & National Youth Council. (2022). Post-Pandemic Generation: Needs and expectations of young Italians in the post-Covid 19 era.
• Di Cesare, M., Magliocchetti, N., Romanelli, M., & Santori, E. (2023). Mental Health Report 2022. Analysis of data from the Mental Health Information System (SISM). Ministry of Health.
• Istituto Superiore di Sanità. (2022). HBSC Italy 2022 Survey – Health Behaviour in School-aged Children.
• OECD. (2024). Promoting good mental health in children and young adults. Best practices in public health.
• SINPIA Sicilia. (2025). Open letter to regional institutions on child and adolescent neuropsychiatry.
• Vicari, S. (2024). Data from Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome.
• Istat (various years). Equitable and Sustainable Wellbeing indicators (Bes). Mental health index by age group (2016-2022).
• Openpolis – Con i Bambini (2022, 2023). The mental health of children and young people after the Covid emergency. Elaborations on Istat data.

Is it just post-covid?

It would be simplistic to suggest that youth distress, widespread anxiety, fear of the future, and social disconnection are solely consequences of the pandemic. On the contrary, one might argue that COVID-19 acted as a catalyst for a series of processes already underway.

Let’s examine some of these:

1. Problematic use of smartphones and social media

Receiving a smartphone before the age of 13 is associated with a decline in mental health in adulthood, with an increase in suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, and difficulties in emotional regulation (Thiagarajan et al., Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 2025). 48% of women aged 18 to 24 who received a smartphone at 5 – 6 years old reported suicidal thoughts, compared to 28% of those who received one at 13 (Global Mind Project, 2025).

Adolescents who spend more time using social media are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and other disorders. Sleep deprivation has made a powerful entry into the developmental years, with adolescents now getting up to 2 hours less sleep per day compared to those of 20 years ago.

Sources and studies of interest for further information:

• Thiagarajan, T.C. et al. (2025). Protecting the developing mind in a digital age: a global policy imperative. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 26(3), 493-504.
• Pugno, M. (2025). Does social media harm young people’s well-being? A suggestion from economic research. Academia Mental Health and Well-Being, 2(1).
• Haidt, J. (2024). The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Penguin Press.
• Odgers, C. & Jensen, M. (2020). Annual Research Review: Adolescent mental health in the digital age. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
• Global Mind Project – Sapien Labs (2025). Data on early smartphone ownership and mental health.
• IPSICO, Florence (2024). The complex relationship between social networks and mental health in adolescents. 22 November 2024.
• Agenda Digitale (2025). Smartphones and social media, poison for minors: the studies are clear. January 2025.

2. Climate crisis and eco-anxiety

For 44% of young Italians aged 18 to 35, anxiety related to climate change has a concrete negative impact on daily psychological wellbeing (European Institute of Psychotraumatology, 2024). 41% of young people associate climate change with feelings of anxiety about the future, 19% with anger and frustration, and 16% with helplessness and resignation.

The impact of climate change on psychological distress is mediated by three factors: eco-anxiety, pessimism regarding the future, and, above all, a lack of purpose in life, which undermines the ability to plan one’s own personal and professional path.

Sources and studies of interest for further information:

• European Institute of Psychotraumatology and Stress Management (IEP) (2024). Study on eco-anxiety conducted for Greenpeace Italy and ReCommon, published in the Journal of Health and Environmental Research. Data collected June-November 2024 from 3,607 young Italians (18-35 years old).
• Fioravanzo, R.E. (2024). Statements as President of the IEP on the emotional crisis linked to climate change.
• Greenpeace Italy & ReCommon (2024). Survey on mental health and the climate crisis, in collaboration with the Union of University Students (UDU) and the Student Network (RdS).
• UNICEF Italy & Youtrend (2025). Climate crisis and Eco-anxiety in Italy. Environmental concerns and mental health. 22 April 2025.
• Legambiente (2024). Eco-anxiety, the other side of the climate crisis. 20 November 2024.
• The Lancet (cited study). Survey on young people aged 16-25 and perceptions of the climatic future.

3. Job precariousness and economic uncertainty

An blue-collar worker under the age of 35 earns, on average, less than € 14.000 per year, significantly below the € 20.000 earned by colleagues over 35 (INPS data, 2025). One in three workers under 35 in Italy is affected by in-work poverty (CGIL, 2026).

In Italy, 18% of young people fall into the NEET category (Not in Education, Employment or Training), the second-highest figure in Europe after Romania, amounting to 1.5 million young people. Of the new contracts activated in 2021, seven out of ten were fixed-term (INAPP Report, 2022).

Sources and studies of interest for further information:

• INPS (2025). Salary data for blue-collar workers under 35. CGIL Analysis.
• CGIL (2024, 2026). Analysis of youth precariousness and in-work poverty. Youth on pause: precariousness and low wages.
• UIL (2024). Youth precariousness in Italy. “No to ghost workers” campaign. 22 July 2024.
• Bombardieri, P.P. (2025). Statements by the General Secretary of UIL on the working conditions of young people. UIL Camp, September 2025.
• Eurostat (various years). Data on youth unemployment, NEETs, and employment in Europe.
• Istat (2025). Data on education, school dropout rates, and the labour market. Report, May 2025.
• Censis (2025). Survey on anxiety and depression among young people under 25. February 2025.

4. Academic pressure and competitiveness

54% of Generation Z youths reported experiencing episodes of stress so severe that they were unable to carry out daily activities, such as going to work or school (World Mental Health Day Report, Ipsos 2024). The main causes of distress are linked to work, social and academic pressure, economic uncertainty, and relationship difficulties.

The Italian education system shows serious deficiencies: only 65.5% of Italians aged between 25 and 64 hold at least a high school diploma, well below the European average, and the lack of adequate support for students in difficulty fuels inequality and stress.

Sources and studies of interest for further information:

• Ipsos (2024). World Mental Health Day Report. Data on Generation Z and stress.
• Ricolfi, L. (2023). Interview on the Italian school system and youth preparation. Linkiesta, 15 September 2023.
• Istat (2024-2025). Reports on the education level of Italian adults and European comparisons.

5. Geopolitical uncertainty and multiple crises

More than one in three young people under the age of 25 has exhibited significant symptoms of anxiety or depression in the past year (Censis, February 2025). Generation Z finds itself facing enormous challenges: a future shaped by the climate crisis, economic precariousness, geopolitical instability, and social uncertainty.

Wars (Ukraine, Middle East, South America, etc.) and international tensions, incessantly broadcast by the media, fuel a sense of helplessness and fear among young people, who perceive these conflicts as real and tangible threats. This is followed by typical cognitive and behavioural patterns:

• denial of the problem;
• avoidance of information;
• avoidance of comparing multiple information sources and perspectives (simplification of problems -> reduction of uncertainty);
• identifying a single culprit to hate and potentially destroy, accompanied by the formation of solidarity groups, whether formal or informal, proximal or distributed, and so forth.

All these patterns, which may present themselves in combination, are merely palliatives. They resolve the issues of anxiety and uncertainty only temporarily and superficially, leaving potentially harmful sequels along the developmental path of young people.

Sources and studies of interest for further information:

• Censis (2025). Survey on anxiety and depression among young people under 25. February 2025.
• Del Vecchio, S. (2025). Collective Traumas and Psychosocial Vulnerabilities: Analysis of the impact on women and young adults and the role of digital interventions.

6. Social isolation and the loss of authentic relationships

The wellbeing of young people has plummeted below that of the middle-aged population, reversing the traditional U-shaped curve of wellbeing over a lifetime (Blanchflower et al., 2025). The pervasive use of screen-based devices causes the displacement of beneficial activities, particularly unstructured play with other children in communal spaces.

Sources and studies of interest for further information:

• Blanchflower, D.G., Bryson, A., Xu, X. (2025). The declining mental health of the young and the global disappearance of the unhappiness hump shape in age. PLoS One, 20(8): e0327858.
• Arcari et al. (2025). One, No One, One Hundred Thousand. Youth: Emotional wellbeing in the school-to-work transition. AnciLab Editore.
• Distefano, C. (2021). The Hikikomori question: between social isolation and educational responsibilities. In Investigation and educational innovation facing the challenges for sustainable development (pp. 944-958). Dykinson SL.
• Da, R. L., & Perulli, L. (2025). Social withdrawal in adolescence: Current status and perspectives.

In summary:

While it is true that adolescence, in its various stages, is inherently an age of change and challenges that inevitably confront the young person with uncertainty and anxiety, we find ourselves today in a particularly complex situation. Various stressors are interconnected on a spatial and temporal scale that was unthinkable only a few years ago: invasive technology, environmental crisis, economic precariousness, pressure for success, and global uncertainty. This combination creates an unprecedented psychological burden that requires urgent and structural interventions at social, educational, and healthcare levels.

Without targeted interventions and substantial investment in youth mental health, there is a risk that the psychological distress that emerged with the pandemic may become chronic, with long-term repercussions for the social and economic fabric of the country. The national healthcare system is struggling to respond adequately to this silent emergency, which demands immediate and structural action to ensure the wellbeing of new generations.

Museums against anxiety, stress and social isolation: the third phase of the ASBA project devoted to adolescents

The ASBA Project (Anxiety, Stress, Brain-friendly museum Approach) continues its research and intervention journey in the field of cultural welfare, dedicating its third operational phase to the wellbeing of adolescents.

Following in-depth studies on the impact of museum therapy on adult citizens between 2022 and 2023, and on museum staff in 2024, the initiative now turns its attention to those under 18 to offer concrete responses to contemporary issues such as anxiety, stress, and social isolation.

The experimentation, made possible through the participation of two institutions of the Municipality of Milan, the Museum of Natural History and the Gallery of Modern Art (GAM), will involve groups of young people aged between 14 and 17 in pathways guided by university researchers and certified therapists.

The activities will utilise methodologies such as Mindfulness, Art Therapy, and the Nature+Art method, structured to stimulate deep immersion and the reduction of anxiety and stress through direct contact with cultural heritage. Each session will be divided into four stages: an informative introduction, a practical experience in front of the museum objects, an explanation of the artefacts, and a final debate aimed at fostering encounters between people and museum collections.

To ensure the scientific robustness of the results, the participants’ levels of anxiety and stress will be monitored at the beginning and end of each session using standardised tests and dedicated devices such as the BCI (Brain-Computer Interface). This is a completely harmless wireless tool capable of measuring brain activity during the sessions.

ASBA follows a research protocol approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Milano-Bicocca and is based on the Brain-Friendly Museum approach (Routledge, 2023). Through rigorous and interdisciplinary research protocols, the museum also becomes a regenerative space for the promotion of public health and social cohesion, capable of enhancing both mental wellbeing and knowledge of museum collections.

The ASBA team:

Annalisa Banzi annalisa.banzi@unimi.it
Claudio Lucchiari claudio.lucchiari@unimi.it
Elena Nava elena.nava@unimib.it
Maria Elide Vanutelli maria.vanutelli@unimib.it
Raffaele Folgieri raffaella.folgieri@unimi.it
Vittorio A. Sironi vittorio.sironi@unimib.it