Pascal, scientist and humanist, proposed in the middle of the 17th century a suggestive criterion to measure the success of Education: an adolescent could be considered well educated if he was able to spend several hours alone in his room, sitting in the dark.

What would happen if we subjected our young people to such a test: would they be able to endure a few hours alone with themselves, disconnected from screens, cell phones and headphones? I'm afraid not. Of course, permanent connection and interactivity have significant advantages for work, leisure and social life in general. Globalization, which enthroned the economy of speed, would be impossible without the resources of the Internet. But after the initial dazzlement at the capabilities of the new technologies, some of them backed up by empirical science are beginning to be questioned.

The well-known dialectic between quantity and quality appears here. The connection with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of "friends" implies an inevitable superficiality. The virtual world has its advantages: it makes it possible to make up one's own profile, even invent it, and avoids the pitfalls of face-to-face attention . programs of study But interpersonal relationships are impoverished. Recent studies in North America show that many young people suffer from psychiatric disorders simply because they lack the vocabulary necessary to express their feelings and emotions. The six hours a day of average spent in front of screens - multitasking - has a lot to do with these pathologies.

The variable that best predicts school success is issue of books in the family home. Undoubtedly, our young people can use their screens to access literary classics or the paintings of the Prado Museum, but as long as only a small minority do so, there is reason for concern.