Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a new video calling on social media companies to reduce the amount of harmful content children can see online.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released the clip of their appearance at a World Mental Health Day event in New York on October 10 last year last night.
They posted the video on their Archewell website following a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child safety in Washington yesterday, where politicians warned social media giants: “You have blood on your hands. “
In the video, Meghan says: “When the car was invented, there was no seat belt.” And what happened? People started getting hurt, people started dying. So you started changing cars.'
Harry adds: “We need to get rid of the idea that there is something wrong with young children.” No, it's the world we allow to be created around them. Please stop sending children content that you don't want your own children to see.'
Harry and Meghan at a World Mental Health Day event in New York on October 10 last year
The Sussexes released the video after a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington yesterday, where US politicians warned social media giants: “You have blood on your hands.”
And Meghan then says: “Everyone is now affected by the online world and social media.” “There is an entry point, which is a positive and creative community, but we all just want to feel safe.”
The pair said the online child safety hearing was held “in front of a packed room of dozens of parents whose children have suffered or died from online harm.”
They added that their Archewell Foundation has “worked with many of these families to provide a support network for parents who are struggling with grief or whose children are suffering from severe mental health issues due to exposure to harmful online content.”
In a joint statement about the video on their website, the Sussexes said: “We applaud the courage and determination of the thousands of parents across the country whose advocacy has led to this hearing.”
“Over the last few years, we have spent time with many of these families, listening to their grief and their hopes for much-needed change in the online space.”
“This is an issue that transcends divisions and party lines, as we saw in the Senate hearing today.” The best parenting in the world cannot protect children from these platforms.
“One of the fathers told us, 'If love could have saved them, all of our children would still be here.'
“This is not the time to abdicate responsibility. It is time to make the necessary changes at the source to keep our children safe.”
Harry and Meghan at a World Mental Health Day event in New York on October 10 last year
Meghan speaks at the World Mental Health Day event in New York on October 10 last year
The video comes from October 10, when the Sussexes called on social media companies to reduce the amount of harmful content children can see online to protect their mental health.
Harry and Meghan made the comments at a mental health awareness festival hosted by nonprofit Project Healthy Minds in New York.
The royal couple, who have spoken about their own mental health struggles, joined US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in a panel discussion moderated by NBC host Carson Daly, who has previously spoken about his struggles with anxiety.
The World Mental Health Day event was coordinated by the Duke and Duchess' Archewell Foundation.
The pair called on social media companies to adopt better content moderation policies and streamline apps that can be addictive among teens.
They spoke after hearing from parents who have lost children due to mental health issues related to social media use.
The Duke called on tech bosses to “stop sending content to children that your own children shouldn’t see.”
The duchess said that she and her husband are focused on what they can do behind the scenes to make social media use “safer, better and more positive” and that the couple has spoken to technology executives about the issue.
She added: “People are getting hurt – and people, especially children, are dying.”
“A year ago we met some of the families, not all of them. It was impossible not to burst into tears at the time as I'm sure so many of you have heard these stories today.
“As parents, our children are still very young – they are two and a half and four and a half – but social media is not going away.”
Harry and Meghan at the World Mental Health Day event in New York on October 10 last year
Harry and Meghan with US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in New York on October 10 last year
“I think there's an entry point that's supposed to be positive, which is creating community, and something has developed, and there's no way to listen to that and not try to help these families have their stories heard become.”
In the United Kingdom on the same day, the Princess of Wales gave a speech to young people gathered in Birmingham for a day of workshops and discussions to mark World Mental Health Day, with her husband Prince William in the audience.
It comes as US politicians warned social media giants last night that they have “blood on their hands” – while the bosses of Meta, TikTok and others mocked the dangers children face on their platforms .
When they testified before senators and the families of children who died after being bullied or abused online, they were told, “You have a product that kills people.”
The U.S. government is trying to enforce online safety laws because of concerns that child exploitation is common on the sites.
Reports repeatedly point out the risks for young users, such as algorithms that associate young people with pedophiles.
Among those who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday were the CEOs of X, Snapchat and TikTok's Shou Zi Chew.
But the biggest fire was directed at Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, who runs Facebook and Instagram.
Meta is currently facing a major lawsuit brought by 40 US states collectively accusing the company of alleged failures to protect its youngest users.
Prosecutors say newly unsealed internal documents showed the company knew its algorithms put children in danger, even though it publicly claimed they were safe.
Yesterday, Senator Richard Blumenthal highlighted that in 2021 Mr Zuckerberg had rejected requests from former British deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg, then head of global affairs, to hire about 80 staff to combat harmful content because of concerns about a “lack of investment “passed.
Families hold up photos of child exploitation and suicide victims in the audience behind the five tech bosses during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington yesterday
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg was asked to apologize to the families during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington yesterday – and he turned around and did it
Senator Blumenthal said estimates suggested the move would have cost an estimated £40m – at a time when Meta had made £7bn in just one quarter.
He said: “This is, as your own internal documents show, an example of your failure to act.”
“This is why we can no longer trust Meta – or, frankly, any of the other social media outlets – to grade their own homework.”
Senator Lindsey Graham drew applause in the hearing room when he said: “Mr. Zuckerberg, you and the companies before us, I know you don't mean it, but you have blood on your hands.” “You have a product that is killing people .”
At one point, Mr. Zuckerberg stood and turned to the rows of victims' families attending the hearing to apologize for what had happened to their loved ones.
In the UK, the Online Safety Act requires social media companies to remove illegal content and protect children from harmful material.
If they don't comply, Ofcom can impose huge fines – and ultimately send bosses to prison if they still don't clear up their act.
The death of 14-year-old Molly Russell – who took her own life after being bombarded with self-harm and suicide content online – played a major role in pushing the law through Parliament.
Last night her father Ian Russell said: “Today Mark Zuckerberg completely denied Meta's role in damaging the health and wellbeing of a generation of teenagers.”
“Like Big Tobacco decades before, Big Tech is actively avoiding the industrial-level harm it inflicts on young people.”