Excessive use of smartphones often leads to addictions with negative consequences for health, said the head of the Church in a message to an addiction conference in Rome on Friday.
Young people in particular are at risk due to an increasing decline in positive values and points of reference. Their fear of the future and the obligations of adult life made them particularly vulnerable.
According to the Pope, the rise in drug use, gambling addiction and dependence on the internet with its sometimes harmful content showed "that we live in a hopeless world in which there is a lack of strong human and spiritual offerings".
As a result, many young people can no longer distinguish between good and evil.
There is a lack of a sense of moral boundaries.
Leo XIV calls for more preventative work from state institutions, organisations, the church and society. It is necessary to strengthen the self-esteem of the new generations in order to counteract the feeling of insecurity and emotional instability.
It is important to offer them an attentive and supportive presence that encourages them to make intellectual and moral efforts and helps them to strengthen their will.
"Work opportunities, education, sport, a healthy life, the spiritual dimension of existence: this is the way to prevent addictions," the Pope concluded.