Generation Z, in Italy 45% feel disconnecting between online life and offline

Taking advantage of the artificial intelligence Lenovo gave life to two interactive 3D avatars, capable of digitally representing two young people and able to entertain real conversations with their loved ones. This is the story of Chinatsu, a Japanese Plus-Size model that hid his life online at the family and Oscar, a fashion lover in which the online world is the last form of freedom. The experiment facilitated significant and felt conversations among the participants, their family members and the avatars, conversations that otherwise would not have been able to happen in real life. The family members or did not know the online world of the participant of the Z generation or did not understand it and did not accept it: that they were career choices or gender identity. According to research in Italy, almost half (49%) of the interviewees of the generation Z states that talking to a qualified professional would give them the trust necessary to speak more openly with the people they love in the real world.

By asking questions to digital avatars and conversing in real time, each family member has acquired precious information on the identity expressed in the world online by his daughter or grandson and has been able to understand better and reconnect in real life. “When we converse with a car we can lose awareness of what we have in front” comments Massimo Chiriatti, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer of Lenovo in Italy, explaining that it is “a condition that can be perceived as a negative, if you want to be used to manipulate people ; In Lenovo, on the other hand, we have the task of helping them understand the nature and use of digital, which is external to humans. At the same time, by making our solutions available, we believe that technology is a fundamental tool to help doctors, professionals and mental health experts to help people who need it “.

In Italy, on the occasion of the world day for network security, Lenovo announced the collaboration with ‘Telefono Amico Italia’, which provides for a free, confidential text messaging and messaging service, available 7 days a week for young people they need. For Cristina Rigon, president of Telefono Amico Italia, the voluntary organization that manages the support service 7 days a week, via Chat and Telephone, “in this historical moment the Z generation is to face new challenges related to the disconnection between Online and offline life, with consequent relational difficulties and sensations of discomfort, inadequacy and solitude. Offer, in anonymous form and without ever expressing judgments, all the support they need. “

In 2024 Telefono Amico managed over 12 thousand requests for help from Under 26, a constantly growing figure in the last 4 years. Currently, young people represent over 30% of the user of the listening service by e-mail and almost 40% of the user of the listening service via Whatsapp, open to all but established precisely to offer young people a communication channel closer to their needs and more similar to their habits. His messaging service helps people of all ages, but has been created specifically for young people allowing on-demand support via WhatsApp.

To stimulate the comparison on the challenges to mental health that young people live, Lenovo then promoted a podcast created in collaboration with Sofia Viscardi, YouTuber and writer: ‘Connection attempts’ is a route of four episodes that tells how the new generations live the Report between online and offline life, and the repercussions of an unaware use of digital mental health. The first episode will be available starting February 18 on all the main platforms. Some advances will be available exclusively on the Instagram profile of Lenovo Italia (@Leovoitalia). “With connection attempts we tried to investigate, without filters, the challenges that young people face in balanced life and offline. Often we feel more free behind a screen, but finding a way to express ourselves in reality is essential for our well -being This podcast was an opportunity to open a sincere dialogue on a theme that concerns all of us, “commented Sofia Viscardi