Conference Program

Adolescents are increasingly immersed in digital environments where interactions often show limited respect for others’ emotions and dignity, and sometimes escalate into unlawful behaviors. In response to these challenges, several upper-secondary schools in the Cagliari metropolitan area have developed projects in collaboration with expert professionals and local institutions, aiming to help students gain awareness of the emotional dimensions underlying their online actions.

The empirical study presented here was carried out over three years and involved first- and second-year high school students working in small, heterogeneous groups. Through multimedia materials—videos, news articles, personal narratives, and testimonies—students were encouraged to discuss their experiences, reflect on the emotions emerging during these exchanges, and learn to identify and articulate them. This process addressed a likely lack of emotional scaffolding from primary socialization agents. Participants were also guided toward empathic reflection on the experiences of cyberbullying victims, who were often perceived as “frozen” or “emotionless” within digital settings.

Given students’ initial reluctance to engage with these topics, project facilitators worked to establish a climate of trust that gradually enabled more open discussion and self-exploration regarding digital behaviors. The initiative ultimately sought to help young people become more familiar with their own emotions, recognize and name them, and understand how they may become blurred or dissociated in virtual spaces.

The contribution will present the main findings emerging from these interventions, highlighting effective practices as well as critical issues, especially in light of the limited availability of in-depth national research on this phenomenon.