At a recent memorial event in New York City, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, emphasized the urgent need for stronger measures to combat the negative impact of social media on children. The Duke’s remarks come amid growing concerns about the link between online platforms and youth suicides.

Memorial for Victims of Social Media

The memorial featured a poignant display of 50 smartphones, each showcasing images of children who, according to organizers, lost their lives due to social media pressures. Speaking at the event, Prince Harry asserted, “enough is not being done” to protect young users.

Harry remarked on the prevalent advice given to parents: “The easiest thing to say is to keep your kids away from social media.” However, he highlighted that many families are seeking action that extends beyond avoidance.

Advocacy and Family Support

Alongside his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Harry has been actively supporting families advocating for changes in social media policies. They have called for tech companies to provide parents access to vital information from their children’s accounts to better understand potential risks.

“It is a universal truth that our children are in harm’s way by what’s happening online,” Meghan stated. She continued to stress the importance of setting a positive example for both children and adults using social media.

Call for Change

A group of families from the U.K. joined the memorial to voice their demands for enhanced protections against the dangers of social media. Among them was Ellen Roome, mother of 14-year-old Jools, who tragically passed away after an online challenge led to his death by suicide. Roome believes that his social media activity may provide clues regarding this incident.

In response to ongoing concerns, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, stated that they have recently implemented special protective accounts for teenagers. “We believe teens deserve consistent protections across all the different apps they use—not just our platforms,” Meta communicated.

Personal Reflections

Expressing his relief, Prince Harry mentioned, “We’re just grateful that our kids are too young to be on social media at this point,” referring to their children, Archie and Lilibet, who are 5 and 3 years old, respectively.

He concluded with a powerful call to action for collective change, “One of the reasons that we’re doing this is because us, collectively with all these parents, want to make sure that things are changed, right? So that no more parents and no more kids are lost to social media. It’s unacceptable. It’s wrong. It’s no longer a secret.”