Sardinian Restaurants Pilot Screen-Free Dining for Families

Excessive screen time among minors has been linked by pediatric experts to insomnia, social isolation and self-harm. In Sardinia, the children’s ombudsman and local business groups have responded with an experimental “Screen-Free Dining” project aimed at restoring conversation during family meals.

Say goodbye to smartphones at the table: 15 Sardinian restaurants are launching a "Screen-Free Dining" trial.

Starting next week, fifteen restaurants across the island—including venues in Cagliari, Quartu Sant’Elena, Capoterra, Nuoro, Bari Sardo, Ussassai, Oristano, Alghero, Olbia and Santa Teresa Gallura—will ask families to place phones in a basket for the duration of a one-month trial. Upon arrival, diners receive a “Meeting Kit” containing board games, drawing supplies and a brochure that outlines the risks of digital overexposure. The kit is designed by the Italian Federation of Paediatricians (FIMPS) to encourage parents and children to talk about their day while waiting for food. The “Table Pact” outlines five gestures: phones stay in bags or a basket, meals become conversation time, manual toys replace screens during waiting periods, exceptions are agreed on beforehand, and urgent calls are taken away from the table.

Say goodbye to smartphones at the table: 15 Sardinian restaurants are launching a "Screen-Free Dining" trial. The Guardian

According to the guide published by Fimp, 95 % of Italian adolescents regularly use smartphones, over half keep them on 24/7, and 25 % show signs of problematic use. At the same time, 87 % of parents say they need more information to manage their children’s relationship with technology.

Say goodbye to smartphones at the table: 15 Sardinian restaurants are launching a "Screen-Free Dining" trial.

• Anna Cau – Regional Ombudsman for Children and Adolescents, co-originator of the pilot.

Say goodbye to smartphones at the table: 15 Sardinian restaurants are launching a "Screen-Free Dining" trial.

• Emanuele Frongia – President of the Sardinian federation of Fipe-Confcommercio, representing participating restaurateurs.

Say goodbye to smartphones at the table: 15 Sardinian restaurants are launching a "Screen-Free Dining" trial.

• Giuseppe Scura – Director of Confcommercio Sud Sardegna, highlighting the business community’s role.

Say goodbye to smartphones at the table: 15 Sardinian restaurants are launching a "Screen-Free Dining" trial.

• Osama Al Jamal – President of the Italian Federation of Pediatricians (FIMPS) in Sardinia, emphasizing parental awareness.

Say goodbye to smartphones at the table: 15 Sardinian restaurants are launching a "Screen-Free Dining" trial.

Cau stressed that the scheme “offers concrete support to families” and that technology must be “managed carefully” to protect minors. Al Jamal warned that many parents lack awareness of both the duration and content-related risks of device use.

Say goodbye to smartphones at the table: 15 Sardinian restaurants are launching a "Screen-Free Dining" trial.

• “Restaurants play a vital role in fostering the intimacy that families rediscover when they dine out,” — Emanuele Frongia, president of the federation on the island

The Guardian