Today, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed a tribute in New York City dedicated to children who have passed away because of the negative impact of the internet.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have emphasized the need for increased safeguards for children against the risks of social media, stating that current efforts are insufficient.
They introduced the ‘Lost Screen Memorial,’ an exhibit composed of 50 smartphones, each showing a picture of a child who lost their life as a result of the dangers of social media.
And Harry told BBC Breakfast: ‘We want to make sure that things are changed so that… no more kids are lost to social media. Life is better off social media.’
The 40-year-old Duke added that he was ‘grateful’ that his children Prince Archie, five, and three-year-old Princess Lilibet were still too young to be online.
Speaking to journalists at an Archewell Foundation event, Harry also said: ‘The easiest thing to say is to keep your kids away from social media.
‘The sad reality is the kids who aren’t on social media normally get bullied at school because they can’t be part of the same conversation as everybody else.’
The Duke also accused technology firms of ‘getting away with it’, saying they did not need to disclose information to families in Britain due to privacy considerations.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Time100 Summit in New York City yesterday
Meghan and Harry at the Time100 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York yesterday
He added: ‘You are telling a parent, you are telling a dad and a mum that they can’t have the details of what their kid was up to on social media because of the privacy of their kid. It’s wrong.’
The images on the memorial were shared by parents who are part of the Parents Network, a foundation launched by the Sussexes last August as a support system for parents of children affected by online harms.
And Meghan said the dangers of social media were ‘one thing we can all agree on is that children should be safe’.
She added that the parents speaking out had ‘the hope and the promise of something better, because… they just want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else’.
It comes after Harry and Meghan accused Meta of ‘allowing more abuse and normalising hate speech’ in January after its decision to scrap third-party fact-checking and loosen its content moderation.
The Duchess of Sussex attends the Time100 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center yesterday
Meghan Markle arrives at the Time 100 Summit in New York City with Prince Harry yesterday
At the time, they criticised the social media giant for responding to ‘political winds’ and ‘abandon(ing) public safety in favour of profit, chaos, and control’.
Last September, Harry delivered a passionate speech in New York calling for action to tackle the ‘pervasive threat’ the online world poses for children, warning: ‘Our kids can’t wait.’
Taking part in the Clinton Global Initiative, Harry suggested the harmful effects of social media meant people were being used for a ‘human experiment’ rather than enjoying a ‘human experience’.
This week, the couple have also been in New York for the Time100 summit which they attended at the Jazz at Lincoln Center yesterday.
At the event, the Duchess said it had been an ‘incredibly busy’ time recently as she launched her Netflix show, new podcast and lifestyle brand As Ever but being a mother gave her ‘perspective’.
The Duchess of Sussex speaks on stage during the Time 100 Summit in New York yesterday
She added that Archie’s first tooth has come loose and she hoped she would be back home from New York before it came out.
The Duchess said of her new ventures: ‘I think as a working mom, and again, these are three projects that we’re all launching really at the same time.
‘The behind the scenes for the past year and a half have been incredibly busy and ambitious, but to see it all come to life and try to give yourself the space and the grace to make mistakes, to know that you’re not going to get it right every day, and at the same time to prioritise what we’re going to put out as our next tranche of skews is equally important to me as Archie losing his first tooth this week which is about to happen, and I just hope we’re back home in time for it – that it all matters.
‘And when you look at your life through that perspective, which frankly, being a parent gives you the most illuminating perspective, because what is seemingly so big, somehow becomes so microscopic in importance compared to what’s happening with your children.
Meghan speaks with Time chief executive Jessica Sibley yesterday at the event in New York
‘That’s certainly how I feel, that you just make time to do it all and I think that’s what is hopeful, that’s what feels like the dream. ‘
Asked how she stayed ‘focused’ while being a high-profile individual who is under ‘scrutiny’, the duchess said she does not go online.
She continued: ‘I’ve made a very, very conscious effort to create boundaries for myself and for my mental health, for my wellbeing, and certainly to role model that as well for my children.
‘I’m conscious of not just raising a very strong and confident young woman, but also having a son, I think is just as paramount of importance for young men to be raised with a confidence and sense of self that is going to empower the women around them too.’
Asked what was ‘next’ for her, the Duchess said: ‘I think obviously, focusing on our family and our children is most important.’
Meghan added that she wanted to continue to ‘uplift other female founders’ through new podcast Confessions Of A Female Founder, to expand her portfolio of investment into women-founded companies and to scale up her brand As Ever.
