Overview
- A Telefono Azzurro–Ipsos Doxa survey presented for Safer Internet Day reports that 35% of Italian 12–18-year-olds list AI tools among their most frequent online activities, with 74% aware of chatbots and 75% saying they use them after an explanation.
- Among chatbot users, ChatGPT dominates at 83%, followed by Gemini at 36%, Meta AI at 27% and Microsoft Copilot at 7%.
- Teens mainly turn to chatbots for schoolwork and research, while 14% often seek personal advice and 34% have done so at least sometimes.
- Perceived harms include reduced critical thinking (40%), fewer real-life social interactions (35%), confusion between reality and fiction (33%) and dependency risk (25%), with misinformation (20%) and privacy (19%) also flagged.
- Telefono Azzurro is convening institutions and experts in Milan and Rome for Safer Internet Day, as UNICEF issues guidance for parents that includes starting early and keeping AI in perspective.