Italy has recently changed their requirements and now language proficiency and residency are required. But yes, up until very recently heritage was mostly enough.

Italian ancestry can qualify you for citizenship, that’s not the best example.

Source: me, American of Italian ancestry working to get dual citizenship

This is exactly the purpose. I am largely against banning things but it’s SOCIAL media. Parents who want to make the objectively correct decision for their child have to go up against the zeitgeist and risk complete isolation of their kids in exchange.