The bill seeks to stamp out the fear of not having access to a mobile phone, known as no-mobile-phone phobia or nomophobia, and anxiety over not having access to social media or messaging apps.
It proposes education programs for parents to detect excessive mobile phone use in children.
The bill also lays out plans for “education for a conscientious use of the internet and social networks” in schools and universities.
Nomophobia particularly affects young people, often preventing them getting a good night’s sleep.
Half of Italians aged between 15 and 20 consult their mobile phones at least 75 times a day, Italian media on Monday quoted research by the National Association of Technological Dependance as saying.
Around 61 per cent of Italians use their tablet or mobile phone in bed, according to another report published in June, with the figure rising to 81 per cent among 18 to 34 year olds.
However, around 21.6 per cent of Italians have no internet access at all, with the figure rising to 42.5 per cent among over 65s, according to the most recent figures from Italian poll company CENSIS.
The M5S said in its draft that mobile phone addiction is comparable to gambling addiction, causing “interference with dopamine production”.
“It’s getting worse and worse and it must be treated like an addiction,” Vittoria Casa, an MP with the M5S, said.
“We agree with studies showing that expecting ‘likes’ for posting on social media triggers the chemical dopamine in the brain.
“It’s the same as gambling.”
