Meghan Markle has openly admitted that she is “afraid” that her children Archie and Lilibet will one day use social media – while warning about the dangers of the online world for today’s youth.
The 42-year-old Duchess of Sussex, who once had more than 11 million followers on her and Harry’s now-defunct Instagram account, opened up about her “concerns” about her four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter while stepping out with her husband on Tuesday Prince Harry appears at a panel event marking World Mental Health Day in New York City.
After hearing the stories of several parents who have “suffered a tragic loss related to their child’s use of social media,” Harry and Meghan took the stage to talk about their own experiences with social media — and their own Fears about the future as parents of two small children.
“Even though our children are very young as parents, they are two and a half and four and a half… but social media is not going away,” she said during the event.
“I think there was an intentional entry point that was meant to have a positive impact on creating a community and something developed and there’s no way to hear that and not try to help these families with their stories.” be heard.”
Meghan Markle has openly admitted that she is “scared” at the prospect of her children Archie and Lilibet one day using social media
Meghan, pictured with Harry, took part in a panel discussion during Project Healthy Minds’ second annual Mental Health Day
Dressed in all white, Meghan, 42, met Carson Daly at the Archewell Foundation’s second annual World Mental Health Day Festival and Parent Summit
The 42-year-old mother-of-two said she is “worried” about the impact social media will have on her four-year-old son Archie and two-year-old daughter Lilibet if they start using it
Meghan went on to admit that while her children aren’t at the age where they’re using or even aware of social media yet, she knows the time is quickly approaching when they’ll be exposed to it in some way.
She described her role as a mother to Prince Harry as “the most important thing in her life, apart from being a wife” and said: “Being a mother is the most important thing in my entire life… apart from being a wife, of course.” .
“But I have to say, I feel lucky that our kids are still at a pretty young age so this isn’t in our immediate future, but I’m also scared of how this continues to change.”
“And that’s what lies ahead.” As they say, “As parents, the days are long but the years are short.” So it worries me, but the progress we’ve made over the last year also gives me a lot Hope and a lot of energy.”
Meghan no longer has an active public social media account, but before she started dating Prince Harry, she was a prolific Instagram user, regularly sharing updates about her life and her time working on TV with her two million followers. Show “Suits”.
That account was deleted shortly after her engagement to Prince Harry was announced, and she has not created another public personal Instagram account since.
In March 2020, Meghan and Harry announced that they were stepping away from social media completely, making a statement on their Sussex Royal Instagram account that they wanted to find a “new chapter to understand how they are on.” can best contribute to this.”
As the Duchess of Sussex spoke about the stories of the parents who took part in the panel discussion, she admitted she shared the “devastating” experiences they shared with her and Harry working with a group of mothers Tearful fathers have helped in efforts to create a safer online space for young people over the past year.
“When we met some of the families a year ago, not all of them, it was impossible not to burst into tears as I’m sure so many of you have heard these stories today,” she said.
“You can hear these stories over and over again and they will still have the same emotional impact because they are just so devastating.”
Both Meghan and Harry, 39, have been outspoken about the dangers of social media in recent years – the Duke of Sussex warned in 2020 that it was fueling a “crisis of hate”.
The Duchess of Sussex said: “I feel lucky that our children… are still quite young.” [social media] is not in our immediate future, but I am also afraid of how it will continue to change
The event was hosted by Today presenter Carson Daly, who joined the Sussexes on stage
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit Mental Wellness in the Digital Age
Meghan and Harry met with Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, who spoke on stage at the Archewell Foundation
The Duchess expressed that she is “scared” of the way social media is constantly changing – and that she is worried about the impact this will have on her children
The royal couple cut a serious figure as they discussed mental health
Meghan welcomes US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy following a panel discussion as part of Project Healthy Minds.
Meghan described her role as a mother to Harry as “the most important thing in her life… apart from being a wife.”
The couple met with the surgeon during the Healthy Minds project
Meghan opted for an all-white outfit for the occasion
Today’s event marks the last time Meghan and Harry have spoken out to warn about the dangers of social media – the Duke of Sussex wrote an entire opinion piece in 2020 warning that this is a “crisis of hate “ stir up.
In the article, written for business magazine Fast Company and headlined: “Social media divides us.” “Together we can reshape it,” Harry said social media was “uneasy” in its current form.
“The digital landscape is not doing well and companies like yours have an opportunity to rethink their role in funding and supporting online platforms that have contributed to and fueled a crisis of hate, a crisis of health and a crisis of truth and created the conditions for it,” he wrote.
He called for online communities to be “defined by compassion rather than hate; through truth instead of misinformation; through justice and inclusivity rather than injustice and scaremongering; by free and not by armed speech.’
Meghan and Harry have often spoken about their own mental health struggles
Meghan cut a serious figure as she met Carson Daly during the event in New York
Meghan spoke openly on social media about her fears for Archie and Lilbet in the future
In March 2020, Meghan and Harry announced that they were stepping away from social media completely, making a statement on their Sussex Royal Instagram account saying they wanted to find a “new chapter” to understand how they can best contribute to this
Today’s event marks the last time Meghan and Harry have spoken out to warn about the dangers of social media – the Duke of Sussex wrote an entire opinion piece in 2020 warning that it was fueling a “crisis of hate.” .
Meghan looked engaged as she spoke on stage
Meghan seemed happy to chat with the crowd during the summit
The Duchess of Sussex was typically expressive during the day
Meghan opted for a simple gold chain and white outfit for the day out
Meghan spoke about mental health and how parents can help their children
The Duchess can be seen on stage with Vivek H. Murthy
Harry and Meghan – who have both spoken openly about their own mental health struggles – appear
A fan recorded a video of Harry speaking
Back in 2019, he suggested that social media was “more addictive than drugs and alcohol” while taking part in a panel on young people’s mental health at a YMCA in London.
“Social media is more addictive than drugs and alcohol,” he said during the event.
“Yes, it is more dangerous because it is normalized and there are no restrictions.” So we are in a truly mind-altering time.
“But we’re in an exciting time because everyone in this room has the opportunity to actually make a difference so that young people coming through are less connected to their phones.”
“They can be as connected as they want, but they also have to have a human connection.” Without that human connection, if you have a problem, you can’t go anywhere and the only place you could go is online and herself [are] will probably be bullied.
“Every single one of us is mentally healthy.” There is good mental health and bad mental health, and just because you may or may not be suffering from mental illness, your poor mental health affects everyone around you.
“The younger generation sees it much more positively.” There’s no point in saying, “I’m fine, I’m fine.” “Everyone in this room is vulnerable to mental illness.”