Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have called for stronger protections for children against the dangers of social media so that “no more kids are lost to social media”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are unveiling a memorial in New York City which they have dedicated to children who have died due to online harm.
“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 prince told journalists at an Archewell Foundation event in New York.
“Life is better off of social media,” he continued. “I say that as a parent, and I say that as someone who’s spoken to many of the kids here tonight who lost a brother or a sister to social media. But clearly, enough is not enough. Enough is not being done.”
He told BBC Breakfast: “We want to make sure that things are changed so that… no more kids are lost to social media.”
Prince Harry and Meghan unveilled an installation called the Lost Screen Memorial, made from 50 smartphones displaying a screen photo of a child whose life was lost “due to the harms of social media.”
The installation will be open for 24 hours.
The Sussexes’ call adds to an international backlash against social media companies, particularly over the harmful effects on children and teenagers.
Ofcom published its final children’s codes of practice on Thursday which set out rules for how websites and apps must protect children from harmful content, including by using age assurance tools and reconfiguring algorithms to prevent young people accessing illegal and harmful material.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
