Sardinian restaurants ask families to put phones away at the table for a month

A one-month pilot across 15 restaurants

Restaurants across Sardinia are asking families to put their phones away during meals. The initiative, called 'A tavola senza schermi' (At the table without screens), is led by Anna Cau, the island's children's ombudsman and a former juvenile magistrate. Fifteen restaurants have volunteered to take part, among them Antica Cagliari in Cagliari, Ristorante Movida in Alghero and Ristorante Terranostra in Olbia. The pilot runs for one month and begins in the week of 2 November 2026. It forms part of a wider campaign to curb excessive screen use among children and to encourage conversation at mealtimes. The restaurants joined voluntarily, and the plan is to expand the scheme on the same voluntary basis.

What families are asked to do

Parents and children are expected to put their devices away once they sit down at a participating restaurant. The Guardian says they will be required to do so, while another report says guests will simply be asked. According to one report, devices are to be stored in pockets or in baskets provided for the purpose on arrival. Once devices are handed in, staff give families a 'reunion kit' of board games and drawings, designed by the Italian federation of paediatricians to help under-18s start conversations with their parents, such as sharing stories about their day. The kit also contains a brochure on the risks of excessive digital exposure and tips on managing social media at home.

Cau has framed the scheme as support for families rather than a simple ban, and told The Guardian:

“The idea is not to rely solely on prohibitions or to place the burden of responsibility entirely on parents”

She added that the wider environment should back parents and help minors integrate with others. The games are timed to fit within a restaurant lunch or dinner, she said.

A restaurant association behind the plan

Fipe-Confcommercio, a federation uniting catering, tourism and entertainment businesses, worked with Cau on the scheme. Its Sardinian branch is led by Emanuele Frongia, who said the 15 restaurants readily agreed to participate. Frongia described how family meals are increasingly marked by long silences, with each person looking at a device and a phone often handed to a child to keep quiet. He argued that restaurants can play a central role in rebuilding the closeness families find when they eat out.

“Restaurants play a vital role in fostering the intimacy that families rediscover when they dine out”

Next steps and open questions

The plan is to expand the initiative on a voluntary basis after the pilot. Polish-language coverage says local restaurateurs hope to extend the scheme to more restaurants and cafes across Italy. The reports do not give a timetable for assessing the results of the pilot. Cau has called the scheme a small step within a broader philosophy that guides her approach to the problem, and she said:

“We need real-world settings that strengthen and accommodate the lives of both adults and children”

Her remarks suggest that restaurants are one kind of real-world setting that can support family life, alongside the home.