The public debate about the relationship between young people and media has intensified in recent years, becoming a central topic in the agendas of politics and the media. Specific events, recent publications, and growing difficulties at school and at home have helped put the spotlight on the issue. EYES UP (EarlY Exposure to Screens and Unequal Performance) is a one-year research project that aims to bring new, scientifically solid evidence to this debate.

Launched in 2023, funded by the Fondazione Cariplo (under the 2022 Inequalities Research tender) and coordinated by the Sociology and Social, Research department of the University of Milan-Bicocca, it also involves the University of Brescia, Sloworking association and Centro Studi Socialis.

EYES UP studied the consequences of children’s early exposure to digital tools and their academic performance over their long-term school career. The goal was to identify the impact of early digital media use on academic performance, analysing differences by gender, social background and subjective well being. The research team used the experience of previous studies. Although these were based on less extensive datasets and focused on smartphones, they had highlighted significant associations between the early use of devices and digital experiences and various adolescent wellbeing indicators.

The results of the EYES UP study confirm the existence of significant negative impacts of certain early experiences with digital media (especially early social media use), and are more solid from a scientific point of view. However, the results also highlight some positive areas to be developed in order to collectively put together a significant and effective process of digital socialisation.