The report, titled It's not a game", the new survey on child labor in Italy, said, in real terms, this amounted to 6.8 per cent of the children in this age range, or about one in 15.
It said this proportion went up to one in five in the 14-15 age range.
The report said one in 10 of those children said they started working at the age of 11 or even younger.
Of the 14-and-15-year-olds who said they'd had an experience of work (58,000 minors in total), 27.8 per cent declared that the jobs they'd worked had damaged their education and were bad for their mental or physical health.
They said they viewed the jobs as dangerous because they are mostly carried out at night or continuously during school term times.
The sectors mainly affected by child labour are catering (25.9 per cent), retail sales in shops and businesses (16.2 per cent), activities in the countryside, like farm work, (9.1 per cent), construction (7.8 per cent), and from continuous care activities of brothers, sisters or relatives (7.3 per cent).
Of great concern is the emergence of forms of online work (now making up 5.7 per cent), such as the creation of content for social networks or video games, or the reselling of sneakers, smartphones and pods for electronic cigarettes.
While child labour is a global phenomenon, widespread but still largely submerged and invisible, the Italian figures are concerning.
The research also shows a positive relationship between child labour and early school leaving: a vicious circle of poverty and exclusion.
Starting yesterday and commencing across four weeks Save the Children Italia is launching a podcast titled It's not a game.
Available on Spotify and all free streaming platforms, each episode journalist Silvia Boccardi will address child labour and other issues starting from the direct testimonies of boys and girls, in an open dialogue with experts and numerous guests.
