In his homily on August 6 to a group of altar servers from Germany, Pope Francis addressed the distractions of the social media age:

Our life is made up of time and time is a gift of God; hence, it must be used in good and fruitful actions. Perhaps many youngsters and young people waste too many hours in futile things: chatting on the Internet or on mobile phones, watching “soap-operas,” — products of technological progress, which should simplify and improve one’s quality of life, but sometimes turn attention away from what is really important. Among the many things to do in our daily routine, one of the priorities must be to remind ourselves of our Creator who makes it possible for us to live, who loves us and accompanies us on our way.

Matt Emerson's essays have appeared in a number of publications, including America, Commonweal, and the Wall Street Journal. The Catholic Press Association named his September 2012 essay "Help Their Unbelief," published in America, as the "best essay" in the category of national general interest magazine for 2012. He is the author of the book Why Faith? A Journey of Discovery (Paulist Press 2016).Articles:Fruitful Searching (Jan. 5-12, 2015)Preambles for Faith (May 13, 2013)Help Their Unbelief (Sept. 10, 2012)Posts at The Ignatian Educator