Telefono Azzurro presents the findings within their annual report which shows what took place during the pandemic.

As the pandemic year had just begun, Telefono Azzurro faced unprecedented challenges in order to protect children, not only in the physical space but also in the digital reality, which all of a sudden became the only “outdoor” space for children to attend school, chat with friends and play.

After acknowledging the consequences of a lockdown, Telefono Azzurro launched a set of online training courses on social media and web use, in addition to creating a section on the website with advice and support for children and their families.

In our 2020 Annual Report, we discuss three topics: “Digital Environment,” “Pandemic,” and “Mental Health.” We drew our attention to these themes in light of what the children had been telling us during the year through our Listening and Counselling Center (19696) and the service Childhood Emergency (114).

While comparing the years 2019 and 2020, in particular February to December, Telefono Azzurro saw that the cases concerning abuse, violence and mental health reported by children increased by an average of 30% in both 19696 and 114. Moreover, the cases handled by live chat have almost doubled in a year.