With the club’s official Christmas video, Sassuolo Calcio presents “Social OFF”, a sensibilization campaign dedicated to the mindful use of smartphone and social media.
The video, written with an ironic but symbolical language, shows Sassuolo’s players as protagonists of a story that invites the viewer to reflect about the importance of shared time and real-life relationships, particularly during the holidays.
“Social OFF. Christmas ON.” represents the starting point of a wider path that Sassuolo Calcio will develop throughout the season with moments dedicated to conscious disconnection and new content aimed at sensitizing our community.
The initiative addresses a large and variegated public, with an eye on families, parents, young people and adolescents, that live a daily relationship with digital technologies.
A WIDESPREAD PHENOMENON, DOCUMENTED BY INSISTUTIONAL SOURCES
Scientific and institutional evidence confirm how the intensive use of digital devices and social networks has become an integral component of daily life, especially among the youngest.
According to data by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the cross-national study HBSC – Health Behaviour in School-aged Children, the majority of adolescents uses social networks daily and one in ten shows a problematic usage, with struggles related to online-time and to the interruption of digital activities.
The same survey highlights how social media usage is often related to complex emotional dynamics, among which the tendency to rely on digital platforms to manage negative emotions, with possible repercussions on psychological wellbeing.
ADOLESCENTS, HYPER-CONNECTION AND SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL
Studies conducted by the Italian National Research Council (CNR – IRPPS) in collaboration with ISTAT point out a significant increase of social withdrawal in adolescents in the past few years.
Between 2019 and 2022, the number of adolescents that limits its social interaction primarily to the school environment, defined as “lone wolves”, has more than tripled, going from 15% to 39,4%.
According to researchers, digital hyper-connection and progressive replacement of real-life relationships with virtual interactions represent risk factors that can contribute to isolation processes and a decrease in the quality of interpersonal relationships.
SASSUOLO CALCIO’S ROLE
With “Social OFF”, Sassuolo Calcio confirms its commitment in promoting social responsibility initiatives, contributing to the diffusion of a culture based on conscious use of digital technologies.
The goal is not to demonise digital devices, but to encourage a more balanced rapport with smartphones and social networks, valuing time, relationships and communitarian dimension, on and off the pitch.
SOURCES
- World Health Organization (WHO / OMS – Europa)
Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)
hbsc.org
iris.who.int - Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS)
HBSC Italia – Tecnologie digitali e social media
epicentro.iss.it/hbsc - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR – IRPPS) / ISTAT
Studi su adolescenti, iperconnessione e isolamento sociale (Scientific Reports)
irpps.cnr.it