Human beings are much more than “mere algorithms”, Pope Francis has warned while urging legislators around the globe to target those who peddle “partisan” propaganda and divisiveness on social media.

In a speech to the International Catholic Legislators Network annual conference in Rome on Saturday, Francis noted social media networks could be a way to help people realise they were part of something larger than themselves.

“Indeed, that is the stated aim of many social media platforms, and certainly much good takes place through these means of communication,” he said.

However, he said vigilance was needed because “sadly many dehumanising trends resulting from technocracy are found on these media”.

Francis cited the deliberate spread of false information about people, fake news and the promotion of hatred and division and decried what he called “partisan propaganda and the reduction of human relationships to mere algorithms”.

He said another peril on social media networks was “a false sense of belonging, especially among young people, that can lead to isolation and loneliness”.

As a remedy, Francis advocated a “culture of authentic encounter, which involves a radical call to respect and to listen to one another, including those with whom we may strongly disagree”.

— with AAP