Latest / Words of the Living Prophets / Using Technology to Support Strong Families | Message for the 3rd Annual IDCT Conference (2026) David A. Bednar

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Using Technology to Support Strong Families | Message for the 3rd Annual IDCT Conference (2026) David A. Bednar · Words of the Living Prophets

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  Your Excellencies, distinguished guests and dear friends, A
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  little over a year ago, I spoke at the Second International
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  Dialogue of Civilizations and Tolerance Conference in Abu
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  Dhabi, and I have been blessed to return to the UAE several
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  more times since then. I regret I am unable to attend
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  the conference with you today in person, but I am grateful for
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  the technology that allows me to share this message with you.
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  This conference is focused on advancing the use of modern
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  technologies and also on raising awareness of the risks and
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  challenges associated with them, especially in the context of the
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  family. 2026 is the United Arab Emirates Year of the Family, an
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  important and timely initiative by the leadership of the
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  country. We are blessed to live in
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  remarkable times. While there certainly are many
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  challenges and much turmoil, we can also see good all around us.
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  The miraculous progress of the last 200 years allows us to live
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  longer, travel faster, and communicate more effectively and
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  quickly. And this progress is only
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  accelerating. As we consider the innovations
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  and changes unfolding in front of our eyes, 2 questions can
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  help us reflect on using technology to support strong
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  families. One, does the use of various
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  technologies and media in our lives help to make us better
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  people and strengthen our families?
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  2 Does the time we spend using technologies and media enlarge
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  or restrict our capacity to live, love, and serve others in
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  meaningful ways? In marriage and family life, we
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  learn and grow together. In our families, we cannot hide
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  from who we really are and what we really are like.
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  A family can be compared to a mirror that helps us become
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  aware of imperfection and flaws we may not be able or want to
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  acknowledge. No one knows us better than
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  those closest to us. This is why a family is the best
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  place to teach our children and to be role models of how to use
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  appropriately modern technological advancements and
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  how to become who we and they really need to become.
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  I strongly believe in the principle of individual moral
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  agency, the capacity and power to choose and to act for
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  ourselves in ways that are good, honest, virtuous, and honorable.
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  One of the fundamental purposes of our agency is to love one
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  another and to make the world a better place.
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  It is not to do whatever we want whenever we will, but to act in
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  accordance with what is right and just.
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  As we approach new media and AI, we always need to be cautious of
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  being captured by negative or addictive influences which could
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  affect the use of our moral agency.
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  We should not be naive and place too much trust in any and all
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  applications of AI technology, despite how tempting they might
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  be. Rather, we can and must learn to
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  be wise and to protect our distinctive capacities and
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  abilities as human beings. I hope all of you, as policy
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  makers and experts in various fields, share the view that our
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  goal in interacting with technologies is not merely
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  producing or presenting impressive content or detailed
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  analysis. Rather, it is about becoming
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  becoming a cohesive and resilient generation and
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  community. To achieve success in their
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  lives, our children and youth will need to be true to their
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  identity and focused on remembering who they are.
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  Technology can support these efforts, but should not in any
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  way distract from or become a substitute for our individual
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  and collective efforts to support young people as future
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  leaders. I repeat again, I believe we
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  live in a remarkable season. I'm grateful to interact with
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  and learn from so many of you who live and work in the United
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  Arab Emirates. Observing the accomplishments
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  and recognizing the bright future this country has are
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  indeed impressive. As we now leave this conference,
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  I hope we each will commit to do a little better in supporting
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  families, children and youth and their desire to discover for
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  themselves who they really are and to develop their moral
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  agency in a way that will strengthen their lives forever.
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  I pray we unitedly will pursue these noble objectives and not
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  be distracted from the true purpose of our lives and our
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  love for one another. I thank you for your attention.