Prime Minister Mia Mottley has issued a pointed warning regarding the rising influence of social media and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, stating they have significantly weakened communication between adults and the younger generation.
Speaking on Saturday at the opening of a new state-of-the-art residential facility for youth aged 12 to 18 in Holders Hill, St. James, the Prime Minister highlighted the challenges posed by what she described as 15 years of social media addiction. She noted that this digital landscape often distorts reality through “perfected images,” leaving many young people feeling “rudderless and not rooted” and negatively impacting their self-perception.
Mottley stressed that technology has reached a stage where it can make many things appear “unreal,” creating a difficult environment for meaningful conversation. To combat this, she urged a return to core values, discipline, and responsibility within the home, citing her own structured upbringing as a template for accountability.
“Children need guardrails. Children need examples. Children need opportunities,” Mottley stated, adding that raising the next generation requires active parenting grounded in “firm love”.
The Prime Minister maintained that the development of the nation’s youth cannot be the sole responsibility of government institutions. Instead, she called for a collective approach involving families and communities to shape behavior and values.
“Children will not go to Sunday school on their own. Children need to be carried there,” she remarked, emphasizing that adolescence serves as a critical “bridge to adulthood that can make you or break you”.
Mottley concluded by urging society at large to provide the mentorship and targeted support necessary to ensure better outcomes for the next generation