Harry and Meghan share rare and emotional message as they call for urgent change to child safety online
1 February 2024, 14:30 | Updated: 1 February 2024, 14:34
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have issued a rare and emotional message on child safety on social media.
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Harry and Meghan spoke out after chief executives of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media giants gave evidence before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
The couple, who are parents to Archie and Lilibet, have been outspoken critics of the way social media firms handle child safety.
In a statement on the Archewell website, they said the issue transcended division and party lines and this is "not the time to pass the buck of responsibility".
"We applaud the bravery and determination of the thousands of parents around the country whose advocacy resulted in this hearing," the statement read.
"Over the past few years we have spent time with many of these families, listening to their heartache and their hopes for the urgent change that is needed in the online space.
"This is an issue that transcends division and party lines, as we saw today at the Senate hearing. The best parenting in the world cannot keep children safe from these platforms.
"As one of the fathers shared with us: ‘If love could have saved them, all of our children would still be here.
"This is not the time to pass the buck of responsibility. It’s the time to make necessary change at the source to keep our children safe."
They also shared a video from the Archewell Foundation Parents' Summit, which focused on mental wellness in a digital age, in New York in October last year.
At the event, which marked World Mental Health Day, they were seen speaking to and hugging parents who shared their experiences.
Meghan said: "When the car was first invented, there wasn't a seatbelt. And what happened? People started to get hurt, people started to die. So you started to change the car."
She added: "Everyone now is affected by the online world and social media. There was an entry point that's positive in creating community, but we all just want to feel safe."
Meanwhile, Harry called for tech bosses to "stop sending children content you wouldn't want your own children to see".
"We need to get out of this idea that young kids, there's something wrong with them. No, it's the world that we're allowing to be created around them," he said.
"Please stop sending children content that you wouldn't want your own children to see."
