Francisco considered that many young people today feel "disturbed and seized by so many fears" and that in many "there is a deep fear that is not to be loved, dear ones, of not being accepted".
Pope Francis warned of the current fear of young people not to be accepted for what they are and that many are obsessed with receiving many "likes" on social networks, in the message for the World Youth Day that was published on Thursday.
Francisco considered that many young people today feel "disturbed and seized by so many fears" and that in many "there is a deep fear that is not to be loved, dear ones, of not being accepted for what you are".
Therefore, said the pontiff, "make continuous photographic retouching" of his image, hiding behind masks and false identities, until almost becoming themselves a fake
The pope, who usually uses colloquial language and new technologies when speaking with young people, also added that "many are obsessed with receiving as many 'likes' as possible, and this sense of inadequacy produces many fears and uncertainties.".
For Francisco, young people, both believers and non-believers, fear "finding emotional security" or "faced with the precariousness of work, many are afraid of not being able to reach a satisfactory professional situation, not to see their dreams fulfilled".
As an aid to the moments of "doubts and fears," the Argentine pontiff proposed "discernment" to "put order in the confusion of our thoughts and feelings and to act in a fair and prudent manner".
"Do not leave, dear young people, that the glow of youth is extinguished in the darkness of a closed room in which the only window to see the world is the computer and the smartphone," he advised.
He asked them for "courage" and use "their strength and energy to improve the world, starting with the closest reality" and therefore"love the people with whom we share daily life, and we can also love those who are not very nice to us".