Paranoia Festival

Not a flight from the family, but a deep desire to be truly listened to. This is the picture taken by Webboh and Studenti, media partners of Paranoia Festival 2026, the cultural movement focusing on the mental well-being of young people.

Webboh, the benchmark media for Gen Z in Italy, and Studenti, leader in digital education, involved their communities of very young people in a study focused on the relationship adolescents have with their parents. Subsequently elaborated by Webboh Lab – the first Permanent Observatory on Gen Z in Italy – together with the Sylla Research Institute, the survey “Listening to Identity. How Gen Alpha and Gen Z Build Themselves Today”, will be presented Saturday 12 September at BASE Milano, as part of the second day of the Milanese appointment of the Paranoia Festival.

All the results of the research, which involved over 3,000 girls and boys under 19 and collected over 2,300 anonymous testimonies addressed by young people to their parents, will be at the center of the talk “Listening to Identity” with Giulio Pasqui, Founder of Webboh, Furio Camillo, scientific manager of Webboh Lab and the Sylla Research Institute, together with content creators Samara Tramontana and Klaus, and psychologist Marzia Targhettini, from the Order of Psychologists of Lombardy.

“When we ask kids what they would like to talk about more with their parents, personal future comes first. It is a request for accompaniment, not distance. These kids are not telling us “leave us alone”. They are telling us something very different: listen to us, trust us, and try to understand who we are becoming. From the survey, we discover that almost eight out of ten would like to talk more about their future with their parents. When we give kids a space to talk, they talk. And they have a lot to tell us. Not to forget that the effectiveness of the parent-child relationship comes from an authentic dialogue”, commented Professor Furio Camillo.

The data emerging from the research disproves the clichés about isolated teenagers or those uninterested in the relationship with adults; the vast majority of young people seek an authentic connection with their parents and wish to talk about:

• personal future (77.4%),

• their emotional sphere (71.8%),

• management of time and their passions (71.8%)

• friendships (70.4%)

However, what makes the difference is “how” to dialogue: kids primarily ask for more listening (24.6%) and less judgment (23.6%). While on the one hand 42.6% declare “They love me but they don’t understand me”, a good 39.5% of open responses reiterate the need to “talk more and better”, confirming that even in moments of conflict, the emotional bond with the family remains solid (27.4%).

Webboh is the benchmark media for GenZ. Founded in 2019, it has been part of the Mondadori Group since 2023. It boasts a monthly web and social reach of 5 million (source: Comscore incremental social reach, average last 3 months) and a fanbase – across TikTok, Instagram, Youtube, and Whatsapp – of over 6 million followers. It is consistently in the top ten most influential Italian media on social networks, as well as first in the Generation Z target for engagement and video views (source: Top Italian Media Ranking by Prima Comunicazione).

Webboh Lab, born from the encounter between Webboh and the Sylla Research Institute under the scientific direction of Prof. Furio Camillo, is the first Permanent Observatory on Gen Z in Italy. Its goal is to return an authentic and real snapshot of Generation Z, giving voice to young people through surveys and research that transform their opinions into concrete insights for companies, institutions, and media.

The Sylla Research Institute specializes in the design and implementation of market research. Scientific director of the Institute is Professor Furio Camillo.

Studenti is the media brand of Mondadori Digital leader in Italy in the digital education category, with 3.4 million unique web users (source Comscore – May 2026). It is a benchmark for New Gen at school, but not only, thanks to a dynamic and continuously evolving editorial offer characterized by innovative languages and content: a formula that allowed Studenti to reach over 1.2 million followers on social networks – across TikTok, YouTube, and WhatsApp – where students can access guides and tutorials to prepare for exams, receive support with AI tools in a safe place, navigate their educational and professional future, and find resources to better live their experience, in every aspect, including personal well-being.