No Phones, No Scrolling: These Restaurants Ask Parents to Put Their Devices Away — Here's What Diners Get Instead

A restaurant group in Sardinia, Italy is asking families to put down their smartphones and other electronic devices during meals as part of an initiative to encourage conversation and reduce excessive screen use among children.

The initiative, called A tavola senza schermi, or “At the table without screens”, is led by Anna Cau, the children’s ombudsman for the Italian island. According to The Guardian, 15 restaurants have volunteered to take part in the month-long pilot program, which starts next week. The organizers intend to expand the initiative on a voluntary basis.

As part of this program, parents and their children will be required to surrender their devices when dining at participating restaurants. In return, they receive a “get-together kit” designed to encourage families to interact without relying on screens.

What will diners get instead of their phones?

After families drop off their devices, restaurant staff will provide them with a session kit containing games and drawings. Designed by the Italian Pediatric Federation, the set aims to help children and their parents start conversations and reconnect during meals.

The aim of these activities is to encourage children to share stories about their day and interact with family members, rather than being entertained in front of screens.

The kit also includes a booklet explaining the risks associated with excessive digital exposure, along with tips for managing social media use at home.

“Restaurants will offer an alternative activity in the form of a game to encourage interaction,” Cau said, according to The Guardian. She added that the games will have time limits adjusted to the length of a restaurant’s lunch or dinner.

Why are restaurants asking families to put their phones away?

The initiative aims to address concerns about excessive screen use among children and encourage more face-to-face interaction, particularly during family meals.

Cau, a former juvenile judge, said the goal of the campaign was not to rely solely on bans or put all the responsibility on parents. Instead, she says, the wider community should help families encourage healthier habits.

“The idea is not to rely only on bans or to place the burden of responsibility entirely on parents, but to ensure that our wider environment supports parents in their role and helps minors integrate with others,” Cau said, as quoted by the news portal.

Emanuele Frongia, president of the island’s association, said restaurants could play an important role in helping families reconnect when they eat out. However, he noted that conversation during the meal was increasingly replaced by silence as diners focused on their devices.

“However, we increasingly observe that during these moments, lively chatter is replaced by stretches of silence as people look at their devices,” Frongia said, according to The Guardian. “Often a child is given one to keep him quiet.”