https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The EU laid out plans Thursday for strict age limits for children to access social media, games and AI assistants -- and on forcing companies to make platforms safe before minors use them. https://www.thelocal.it/20260917/explained-what-would-change-for-kids-and-social-media-under-new-eu-law Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:15:32 +0200 explained-what-would-change-for-kids-and-social-media-under-new-eu-law The European Union will ban social media for children under 13 and allow only limited, supervised access until the age of 15 under plans unveiled Wednesday by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. https://www.thelocal.it/20260916/europe-has-power-to-act-eu-to-ban-social-media-for-under-13s Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:27:10 +0200 europe-has-power-to-act-eu-to-ban-social-media-for-under-13s Lawmakers in France are scheduled to vote on Tuesday to ban social media for under-15s -- one of 20 countries worldwide to have proposed or introduced such measures, with many of them in Europe. https://www.thelocal.it/20260713/eu-to-limit-childrens-access-to-social-media Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:02:47 +0200 eu-to-limit-childrens-access-to-social-media School holidays in Italy average 14-15 weeks, while annual leave in most jobs maxes out at five. Working parents tell us how they cover the gap. https://www.thelocal.it/20260701/how-italys-working-parents-tackle-the-long-summer-break Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:53:14 +0200 how-italys-working-parents-tackle-the-long-summer-break Schools are out in Italy for the next three months, and for many families it raises the same question every year: how do you cover weeks of childcare when working life doesn’t pause with the school calendar? https://www.thelocal.it/20260609/tell-us-how-do-working-parents-in-italy-cover-the-long-summer-holidays Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:20:48 +0200 tell-us-how-do-working-parents-in-italy-cover-the-long-summer-holidays For families with young children, where you live in Italy can make a huge difference to the cost of childcare. In some areas, it may even be free. https://www.thelocal.it/20260515/free-childcare-in-italy-the-regions-covering-the-full-cost-and-why-others-arent Fri, 15 May 2026 12:58:56 +0200 free-childcare-in-italy-the-regions-covering-the-full-cost-and-why-others-arent With Italian Mother’s Day around the corner, a new report looks at where in the country mothers face the greatest challenges and where they’re most likely to thrive. https://www.thelocal.it/20260508/ranked-the-italian-regions-where-its-easiest-and-hardest-to-be-a-mother Fri, 08 May 2026 15:10:59 +0200 ranked-the-italian-regions-where-its-easiest-and-hardest-to-be-a-mother Following Italy's removal of three homeschooled children from their Anglo-Australian parents last week, what does Italian law have to say about homeschooling? https://www.thelocal.it/20251125/what-are-the-rules-on-homeschooling-in-italy Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:43:05 +0100 what-are-the-rules-on-homeschooling-in-italy Italy has some of Europe's most affordable early years childcare provision—if you can secure a spot. Here’s what to know about navigating the system. https://www.thelocal.it/20250915/explained-what-are-your-childcare-options-in-italy Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:51:16 +0200 explained-what-are-your-childcare-options-in-italy As the new school term begins in Italy, parents are facing higher costs again in 2025 according to consumer assocation reports. https://www.thelocal.it/20250911/back-to-school-how-much-it-costs-in-italy-this-year-and-how-to-save Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:54:06 +0200 back-to-school-how-much-it-costs-in-italy-this-year-and-how-to-save Italy’s government has increased its financial support for parents this year as part of efforts to boost the country’s falling birth rate. What assistance can you take advantage of as a new mother in 2025? https://www.thelocal.it/20250903/what-maternity-benefits-can-you-claim-in-italy-in-2025 Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:39:44 +0200 what-maternity-benefits-can-you-claim-in-italy-in-2025 Europe's population is getting older and its set to shrink in many countries. One of the keys to sustaining societies and economies will be the integration of immigrants into the workforce, the author of a new study tells Claudia Delpero. https://www.thelocal.it/20250427/integrate-immigrants-how-europe-can-deal-with-its-population-challenge Sun, 27 Apr 2025 15:48:54 +0200 integrate-immigrants-how-europe-can-deal-with-its-population-challenge While there’s no list of 'acceptable' names parents should stick to, there are a number of rules about naming children in Italy. https://www.thelocal.it/20230630/what-are-the-rules-for-naming-your-baby-in-italy Fri, 30 Jun 2023 18:54:43 +0200 what-are-the-rules-for-naming-your-baby-in-italy Italy's Constitutional Court on Friday ruled that single people can adopt children from abroad – a right previously reserved to married couples alone under Italian law. https://www.thelocal.it/20250321/italys-top-court-rules-single-people-can-adopt-children-from-abroad Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:36:29 +0100 italys-top-court-rules-single-people-can-adopt-children-from-abroad The number of babies born in the EU was down 5.4 percent to 3.67 million in 2023, the largest drop in decades, official data showed Friday, underscoring the bloc's demographic issues. https://www.thelocal.it/20250308/eu-sees-record-drop-in-births-data-shows Sat, 08 Mar 2025 10:36:35 +0100 eu-sees-record-drop-in-births-data-shows What's in a name? For international parents in Italy, choosing one for their baby means considering the country's laws and cultural norms, as well as the limits of the Italian bureaucratic system. https://www.thelocal.it/20240722/five-things-to-know-about-naming-your-baby-in-italy Mon, 22 Jul 2024 19:37:55 +0200 five-things-to-know-about-naming-your-baby-in-italy Foreigners living in Italy are often left baffled by how much 'la famiglia' is intrinsic to the Italian way of life. Silvia Marchetti explains why families in Italy "stick together like glue", even if it means your relatives are a constant presence in your life. https://www.thelocal.it/20240913/opinion-family-is-sacrosanct-to-italians-even-if-you-cant-get-away-from-them Fri, 13 Sep 2024 18:24:25 +0200 opinion-family-is-sacrosanct-to-italians-even-if-you-cant-get-away-from-them The number of people aged 18-34 still living at home is now as high as 75 percent in some parts of Italy, new official data shows, as wages shrink and youth unemployment grows. https://www.thelocal.it/20240516/two-thirds-of-young-italians-now-live-with-their-parents-as-unemployment-rises Thu, 16 May 2024 17:24:59 +0200 two-thirds-of-young-italians-now-live-with-their-parents-as-unemployment-rises Foreigners living and raising children in Italy often want them to become native speakers of at least two languages. We asked those who’ve done it to share their tips and experiences. https://www.thelocal.it/20240507/not-easy-but-worth-it-the-ups-and-downs-of-raising-bilingual-kids-in-italy Tue, 07 May 2024 18:39:48 +0200 not-easy-but-worth-it-the-ups-and-downs-of-raising-bilingual-kids-in-italy As new statistics show the birth rate continues to fall in Italy, what additional support has been introduced for families in 2024 - and how much difference will it make? https://www.thelocal.it/20240404/key-points-what-is-italys-government-doing-to-help-families Thu, 04 Apr 2024 18:23:35 +0200 key-points-what-is-italys-government-doing-to-help-families