Pope to students: 'Do not let technology use you'

Pope Leo XIV urged students to use education as a tool for building a better society and cautioned against letting technology dominate their lives, the Vatican News reported Thursday.

The pope, addressing students at Paul VI Audience Hall in Rome, highlighted the example of recently canonized Italian student Pier Giorgio Frassati, citing two of his mottos: "To live without faith … is not living but simply getting along," and "To the heights."

He encouraged students to live to the fullest and pursue meaningful goals, warning against being distracted by fleeting pleasures or appearances.

On the topic of digital education, the pope urged caution in the use of technology, saying young people should not allow it to dictate their lives.

He also addressed artificial intelligence, stressing that while it may be "intelligent," it must be used to act humanely.

"We must learn to humanize the digital, building it as a space of fraternity and creativity -- not a case where you lock yourselves in, not an addiction or an escape," he said.