Put the phone down for face-to-face conversation

POPE Francis has urged youngsters to get off their phones during family meals, warning that the death of face-to-face conversations can have dire consequences on society, even resulting in wars, “Stop texting during mealtimes” (The Star, Feb 18).

Many youngsters, adults and professionals are spending most of their waking hours on their smartphones whether to communicate or just to keep up with the latest information on their topics of interest.