20 Feb 2026, 10:55Catherine Anthony Boldeau, BUC Stewardship Director
Wait, Lord, I’m Watching Cat Videos
The High Cost of Cheap Distraction
Did you know that there are more than two million cat videos on YouTube? Collectively, they have been viewed over 25 billion times. Even if the average viewing time were only 12 seconds, that would amount to thousands of years spent watching cats on screens.
Digital distraction is one of the defining challenges of the 21st century. We live in a time when much of the world spends enormous amounts of time with heads bowed, not in prayer, but over tablets, laptops, and mobile phones. Our lives are increasingly consumed by digital content. Some of it is serious and beneficial. Much of it is trivial - cat videos.
Hours can disappear into doomscrolling on social media, online shopping, or jumping from one YouTube clip to another.
With the rise of artificial intelligence, content production has accelerated dramatically. Articles that once took weeks to research and write can now be generated in moments. Images that required hours of editing can be created in seconds. We are flooded with inexpensive, instantly available content that can occupy us for hours without us even noticing the passage of time.
Digital media is not inherently the problem. It is an excellent servant. It enhances worship. Evangelism can be more engaging, and it provides platforms that help fulfil Christ’s commission: “You shall be My witnesses…” (Acts 1:8). Well-structured digital communication is a blessing to the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The challenge arises when consumption replaces intention.
When digital media is overconsumed, it can be detrimental to our health and wellbeing. On 19 January this year, the UK government issued a press release announcing consultation on children’s social media use, including potential restrictions and strengthened enforcement of mobile phone bans in schools to protect young people’s wellbeing.1
At the same time, a recent article in the New York Times reported that some doctors and therapists have observed patients experiencing psychosis, isolation, and unhealthy dependency linked to chatbot interactions.2
Clinicians noted that the highly personalised and authoritative tone of AI tools can intensify delusional thinking in vulnerable individuals. One therapist described a patient’s 100 hours per week of AI engagement as “this was this guy’s meth.”
While such cases are extreme, they highlight a wider reality: technology shapes us. It influences our thinking, our habits, and our spiritual attentiveness.
The Apostle Paul urges the believers in Ephesus: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” - Ephesians 5:15–17 (NKJV)
But how do we redeem the time in a century defined by distraction? How do we walk wisely when notifications, algorithms, and endless content compete for our attention? How do we redeem the time when the digital world constantly interrupts the analogue rhythms of prayer, reflection, and human connection?
The issue is not whether we use technology, but whether technology uses us.
Over the coming months, the BUC Stewardship Working Group will provide resources to help us reflect on this important theme. Together, we pray that we will learn to use our time intentionally, wisely, and prayerfully - so that even in a digital age, our attention remains anchored in what truly matters.
Footnotes
1. UK Government Press Release, 19 January 2026: Consultation on children’s social media use and mobile phone restrictions in schools. [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-drive-action-to-improve-childrens-relationship-with-mobile-phones-and-social-media]
2. The New York Times, 2026: Article on chatbot use and mental health concerns. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/chatgpt-delusions-psychosis.html]
Did you know that there are more than two million cat videos on YouTube? Collectively, they have been viewed over 25 billion times. Even if the average viewing time were only 12 seconds, that would amount to thousands of years spent watching cats on screens.
Digital distraction is one of the defining challenges of the 21st century. We live in a time when much of the world spends enormous amounts of time with heads bowed, not in prayer, but over tablets, laptops, and mobile phones. Our lives are increasingly consumed by digital content. Some of it is serious and beneficial. Much of it is trivial - cat videos.
Hours can disappear into doomscrolling on social media, online shopping, or jumping from one YouTube clip to another.
With the rise of artificial intelligence, content production has accelerated dramatically. Articles that once took weeks to research and write can now be generated in moments. Images that required hours of editing can be created in seconds. We are flooded with inexpensive, instantly available content that can occupy us for hours without us even noticing the passage of time.
Digital media is not inherently the problem. It is an excellent servant. It enhances worship. Evangelism can be more engaging, and it provides platforms that help fulfil Christ’s commission: “You shall be My witnesses…” (Acts 1:8). Well-structured digital communication is a blessing to the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The challenge arises when consumption replaces intention.
When digital media is overconsumed, it can be detrimental to our health and wellbeing. On 19 January this year, the UK government issued a press release announcing consultation on children’s social media use, including potential restrictions and strengthened enforcement of mobile phone bans in schools to protect young people’s wellbeing.1
At the same time, a recent article in the New York Times reported that some doctors and therapists have observed patients experiencing psychosis, isolation, and unhealthy dependency linked to chatbot interactions.2
Clinicians noted that the highly personalised and authoritative tone of AI tools can intensify delusional thinking in vulnerable individuals. One therapist described a patient’s 100 hours per week of AI engagement as “this was this guy’s meth.”
While such cases are extreme, they highlight a wider reality: technology shapes us. It influences our thinking, our habits, and our spiritual attentiveness.
The Apostle Paul urges the believers in Ephesus: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” - Ephesians 5:15–17 (NKJV)
But how do we redeem the time in a century defined by distraction? How do we walk wisely when notifications, algorithms, and endless content compete for our attention? How do we redeem the time when the digital world constantly interrupts the analogue rhythms of prayer, reflection, and human connection?
The issue is not whether we use technology, but whether technology uses us.
Over the coming months, the BUC Stewardship Working Group will provide resources to help us reflect on this important theme. Together, we pray that we will learn to use our time intentionally, wisely, and prayerfully - so that even in a digital age, our attention remains anchored in what truly matters.
Footnotes
1. UK Government Press Release, 19 January 2026: Consultation on children’s social media use and mobile phone restrictions in schools. [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-drive-action-to-improve-childrens-relationship-with-mobile-phones-and-social-media]
2. The New York Times, 2026: Article on chatbot use and mental health concerns. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/chatgpt-delusions-psychosis.html]
