A group of restaurants in Sardinia is launching a pilot program to discourage the use of smartphones and other digital devices at the dining table in an effort to promote family interaction during meals. The initiative, titled *A tavola senza schermi* ("At the table without screens"), will begin next week and run for one month across 15 participating establishments.
The campaign is led by Anna Cau, the island’s children’s ombudsman and former juvenile magistrate. Cau emphasized that the goal is not solely to impose restrictions or place responsibility entirely on parents, but rather to create an environment that supports parental efforts and helps minors engage more meaningfully with others. "We need real-world settings that strengthen and accommodate the lives of both adults and children," she said, describing the effort as part of a broader approach to addressing challenges related to digital overexposure.
Under the program, families will be required to hand over their phones upon arrival at participating restaurants. In exchange, staff will provide a "reunion kit" designed by the Italian federation of paediatricians. The kit includes games, drawings, and a brochure outlining the risks associated with excessive screen time and offering advice on managing social media use at home. The activities aim to prompt under-18 diners to start conversations with their parents by sharing personal stories or engaging in interactive play tailored to the restaurant setting, with structured time limits to fit typical meal durations.
Cau collaborated with the Sardinian branch of Fipe-Confcommercio, an association representing the catering, tourism, and entertainment industries, to develop and promote the scheme. Emanuele Frongia, president of the federation on the island, noted that the participating restaurants welcomed the initiative and expressed hopes for its voluntary expansion in the future.
Frongia highlighted the social role restaurants play in fostering family intimacy. However, he observed a growing trend where digital devices replace genuine conversation at mealtimes, often used as a way to keep children occupied and quiet. "We increasingly observe that during these moments lively chatter is replaced with stretches of silence as people look at their devices," he said.
The pilot program reflects wider concerns about the impact of screen time on family dynamics and social interaction, seeking to create a model that other communities might adopt to encourage face-to-face communication in everyday life.