They disappear for months sucked into the walls of their bedrooms and never leave the house again, they don’t speak to anyone. They are the Italian baby-Hikikomori. Surprise more girls. And more and more young people. This is the photograph taken by the study ‘Behavioural Addictions in Generation Z’, the result of an agreement between the Department of Anti-Drug Policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the National Center for Addiction and Doping of the Higher Institute of Health, presented today at a conference in Rome in the headquarters of the ISS. The phenomenon of social isolation – which in its most extreme clinical manifestation is known as hikikomori – “is widespread” in generation Z.
“It affects 1.8% of middle school students and 1.6% of high school students”, note the authors of the survey which was based on interviews conducted in the autumn of 2022 with more than 8,700 students among 11 and 17 years old, around 3,600 in lower secondary schools and around 5,100 in upper secondary schools, throughout the country, selected so as to have a representative sample of the population. This share of 1.8% of 11-13 year olds and 1.6% of 14-17 year olds is made up of teenagers who reported isolating themselves every day in the past 6 months. There is talk of “approximately 30,175 middle school students”, while the percentage of students aged 14-17 is equivalent to “approximately 35,792” attending high school.
Compared to gender, the highest prevalence is found in girls, who tend to isolate themselves in their room without leaving the house in 1.9% in the case of middle school female students, up to 2.4% among female secondary school students high school. “The alarming figure for the precociousness of the phenomenon and the most critical age is 13 years”, report the researchers. The survey also explored the relationship between parents and children, inviting all middle school parents who had joined the study to participate, and 1,044 questionnaires were collected. From this chapter of analysis it emerges that 72.1% of middle school kids who show a risky tendency to withdraw from society (against 40.8% of those who do not show this tendency) declare a difficulty in communicating with their parents. The percentage rises to 77.7% in high school students with the same discomfort (against 50.3% of peers who do not present this risk).