Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has warned that growing addiction to mobile phones and modern technology is weakening family life and human relationships, while contributing to the erosion of social values.
The Cardinal made the remarks while addressing a religious event held in Seeduwa.
He said consumerism had grown significantly in Sri Lankan society following the introduction of the open market economy, creating artificial wants and encouraging people to pursue material possessions beyond their genuine needs.
According to Cardinal Ranjith, the market is increasingly driven not by people’s actual needs, but by the creation of new desires aimed at generating profits.
“After the open market economy was introduced to this country, people developed desires they did not have before. This is what we call consumerism — the desire to accumulate as much as possible,” he said.
Referring to changing patterns of mobile phone use, the Cardinal said phones, which were once primarily used for calls and messages, had now become a central part of people’s lives.
“Now the phone has become one’s entire life. Even after going to bed, people keep looking at their phones. They stay awake throughout the night watching programmes until morning,” he said.
He warned that excessive dependence on technology was affecting interactions among parents and children and undermining family relationships.
“Parents and children no longer have a family life. All the values have been lost,” he said.
Cardinal Ranjith further argued that the market economy had created desires that previously did not exist and that generating profits by exploiting such desires had become a major force shaping modern society.
He also cautioned that education and social advancement could sometimes lead people to believe they knew everything about the world and become arrogant as they attained higher social positions.
