“Do not be afraid.” These words, first proclaimed by Christ and later echoed by John Paul II during his papal inauguration, became the defining motif of his pontificate. As he led the Church into the Third Millenium, he urged believes to reject fear and open their hearts to Christ. Now, twenty years after his passing, these words remain relevant—though perhaps in a slightly modified form: “Do not be anxious”
The world today is gripped by anxiety, not only in personal lives but as a cultural phenomenon. W.H. Auden famous described the post-World War II era as an “age of anxiety,” yet his words ring even truer today in an era dominated by smart phone, social media, and AI. Technology has not merely changed how we communicate; it has reshaped our lives, rewiring our very brains. The rise in anxiety, especially among the younger generations —for whom John Paul II cared so much—, demands our attention.
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s new bestselling book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, shows the rise in anxiety and depression, especially in teenage girls, coincides with the takeover of social life by smartphones. Haidt, a cautious social scientist, does not overstate his case: he argues convincingly that smartphones are not just correlated with rising anxiety and depression; they are a direct cause. His findings paint a bleak picture, in which it seems that there is no escape from this new social world that is destroying the mental health of our youth, he ends the book with helpful strategies for recovering a healthier social life for ourselves and our children.
Navigating the “Great Rewiring”, as Haidt calls it, is a great challenge. Innumerable nudges push us to just give up the fight resisting the phone and its lure. Most parents relent and let their children stay on the phone. The attempt to regulate phone use is not worth the constant fight. But, as Haidt notes, many young people eventually see the problems with phone addiction and wish they were free from it. They are quick to point out the phone’s ill effects on their mental health. Yet, they resign themselves to the fate of living in a world mediated by the phone. As a teacher, many of my students have admitted this. But their acknowledgement has a tinge of despair, like the despair a slot machine addict conveys who sees how their addiction is destroying their life but just can’t quite quit it.
For the last fifteen years, many Catholics have embraced social media as an evangelization too. The logic seemed compelling: if the Church is to engage the modern world, it must meet people where they are. Yet, findings like Haidt’s suggest that we must reconsider whether this method aligns with the Gospel message. Social media fosters distraction, addiction, and anxiety—the very obstacles to deep prayer and contemplation. Can a medium that encourages superficial engagement truly be effective in proclaiming a faith that calls for depth, silence, and interiority? Marshall McLuhan, the Catholic media theorist, famously said, “The medium is the message.” If the medium itself undermines the focus and spiritual depth, we must ask: is it truly serving the mission of evangelization, or is it subtly reshaping the Gospel in its own image?
As someone who worked at a Catholic media company for many years, I no longer enthusiastically sing social media’s praises but see its ambiguity. First, I noticed what it was doing to me. I do not have a steel will, so maybe I just need more discipline to resist its hold on me. But after working on devices connected to the internet throughout the day, creating materials to evangelize via the new media, I recognized that such work was not good for my prayer life. I felt like I had ADHD, and I was becoming incredibly anxious during my attempts at silent prayer. I was encouraging people to find communion with God, but I could barely sit one minute in focused silence. Now, I am old enough to remember a time when I could spend an entire hour or more without feeling the need to direct my attention elsewhere. And now, as an adult, I was having a harder time focusing than when I was a kid. I cannot imagine the struggle kids must have trying to focus when they grow up immersed in the phone.
John Paul II would have never become the renowned rock of prayer if he grew up in such a world Yet, thanks to the media, John Paul II became a world-renowned rock star, proclaiming the Gospel around the world. As a philosopher and contemplative, it is hard to imagine John Paul II not giving due consideration to the effects of the new media on persons and societies.
John Paul II warned the developed world of the effects of “audiovisual overstimulation”. He saw it as detrimental to human development. Thus, I cannot image him fully embracing new social media platforms, what Haidt sees the major cause in the rise of anxiety and depression.
John Paul II was no Luddite but the proponent of technology in accord with man’s moral and spiritual progress. Perhaps there is a way of designing smartphone and its attendant social media in accord with that purpose. Please let me know if you hear of such plans.
