Prince Harry warns about breakdown of ‘social cohesion’ and sounds alarm about online misinformation after UK riots
16 August 2024, 11:25
Prince Harry has warned of the loss of "social cohesion" as he criticised the spread of disinformation online after the riots that tore through much of the UK earlier this month.
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Speaking on a trip to Colombia with his wife Meghan, the Duke of Sussex warned of how quickly disinformation and misinformation can be shared around on social media, leading to real-world consequences.
Harry told a summit on digital responsibility that "what happens online within a matter of minutes transfers to the streets."
He added: "People are acting on information that isn't true."
Harry also told his audience that "in an ideal world, those with positions of influence would take more responsibility. We are no longer debating facts.
"For as long as people are allowed to spread lies, abuse, harass, then social cohesion as we know it has completely broken down."
Read more: Smiling Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive in Colombia ahead of four-day national tour
It came after riots swept the UK earlier in August after the killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. The disorder was largely sparked by false rumours on social media that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Several high-profile people have been accused of failing to use their positions to quell the disorder, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and Twitter owner Elon Musk.
Mr Musk claimed the UK was heading for civil war, while Mr Farge claimed the Southport attacker "was known to the security services". He has since denied stoking disorder, but a former counter-terror police chief said he may be under investigation.
Meghan used the opportunity to claim that everyone has either been the victim of cyberbullying or knows someone who has.
"It doesn’t matter where you live. It doesn’t matter who you are," she told the audience.
"Either you personally or someone you know is a victim to what’s happening online. And that’s something we can actively work on every day to remedy."
She added: “We should model how we want our kids to be raised and for the world in which we raise them."
Harry and Meghan arrived in Colombia on Thursday for a four-day tour.
They were greeted in Bogota, the capital, on Thursday by Colombia's vice-president Francia Marquez.
The pair spent around half an hour at the vice-president's home, where they exchanged gifts and ate traditional pandebono - a Colombian cheese bread dish.
It remains unknown how the Sussexes have funded this trip but the couple will have full security detail while travelling the country.
On Friday, Harry and Meghan will attend a lunch hosted by Marquez before visiting the cities of Cartagena and Cali over the weekend.
They are also expected to attend the Petronio Álvarez festival, a four-day festival in celebration of Afro-Colombian music and culture.
Harry's comments about disinformation came after he and Meghan visited a school, the Colegio Cultura Popular, on Thursday and joined a summit, in collaboration with their Archewell Foundation, about creating a healthier digital landscape.
They spoke to children in a session where the class talked about their favourite and least favourite parts of social media, technology and dealing with life on the internet.
Meghan said the group should aim to be "self-reliant and not tech-reliant" while Harry about asked the conversations they have with their families about managing social media and literacy.
