The Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols warned that social networking sites, texting and emails are undermining community life and promoting "transient" relationships that could trigger teen suicide.
Archbishop Nichols, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, said MySpace and Facebook led young people to seek "transient" friendships, with quantity becoming more important than quality, UK's Sunday Telegraph reported.
"Facebook and MySpace might contribute towards communities, but I'm wary about it," he told the newspaper. Young people may "throw themselves into a friendship or network of friendships, then it collapses and they're desolate.
"It's an all or nothing syndrome that you have to have in an attempt to shore up an identity; a collection of friends about whom you can talk and even boast."
"Friendship is not a commodity," he told the newspaper. "Friendship is something that is hard work and enduring when it's right."
He said a key factor in suicide among young people was the trauma caused when such loose relationships collapsed.
He also said that society was losing some of its ability to build communities through interpersonal communication, as the result of excessive use of texts and emails.
"We're losing social skills, the human interaction skills, how to read a person's mood, to read their body language, how to be patient until the moment is right to make or press a point," he said in the interview.
"Too much exclusive use of electronic information dehumanises what is a very, very important part of community life and living together."
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Facebook criticised by Archbishop (BBC News)
Facebook and MySpace can lead children to commit suicide, warns Archbishop Nichols (Sunday Telegraph)
Church warns against social network site (WA Today)