Social media turning young people into 'Social Hermits' – Pope Francis warns

Pope Francis has warned that the illusion of community online risks turning young people into 'hermits', and that narcissism and societal divisions fueled by social media are creating 'spirals of hatred'.

In his World Day of Social Communications message released on Thursday in Panama, Pope Francis said that “online discussion is too often based on opposition to the other, the person outside the group: we define ourselves starting with what divides us rather than with what unites us”.

“This unbridled individualism found on social media sometimes ends up fomenting spirals of hatred and giving rise to 'every kind of prejudice,” the Pope said.

The Pope is currently on an official visit to Panama for the global World Youth Day gathering, and also took the opportunity to draw attention to the fact that one in four young people are involved in cyberbullying.