Harry and Meghan's video statement on online harm following the US Senate hearing on online child safety
Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and co-founders of The Archewell Foundation said:“We applaud the bravery and determination of the thousands of parents around the country whose advocacy resulted in this hearing.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.’
Transcript
00:00 I want to welcome you to the Archwell Foundation's Parents Summit, Mental Wellness in a Digital Age.
00:06 The U.S. Surgeon General has called youth mental health the defining public health issue of our time.
00:12 Social media plays a profound role.
00:15 Anybody that's a parent, you know you love your child, and if love could have saved them, all of our children would still be here.
00:23 When I think about Mason as I do quite often, you think about this tough all-American football player, but there was this whole other side, this gentle, soft, loving, positive energy about him.
00:36 Just a beautiful kid, and like all of our kids, all beautiful, right?
00:40 The content started getting darker and darker and darker, and the more he engaged with those, the darker they got.
00:48 People were sending her unwanted messages through social media apps and stuff like that, literally 24/7.
00:54 Pitting the best designers in the world against our kids and parents, that is the definition of an unfair fight, and that's what we find ourselves contending with.
01:02 The good news is there is a lot that we can do.
01:05 When the car was first invented, there wasn't a seatbelt.
01:08 And what happened? People started to get hurt. People started to die. So you started to change the car.
01:14 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.
01:22 Please stop sending children content that you wouldn't want your own children to see.
01:26 Everyone now is affected by the online world and social media.
01:30 There is an entry point that's positive in creating community, but we all just want to feel safe.
01:35 Even in our deepest and darkest moments, and sometimes especially in those moments, we can help each other heal.
01:42 Through this experience in this community that R12 Foundation has created, being a chicken farmer or a vegan runner, whatever, we can be the best of friends and support each other.
01:50 It's been Thanksgiving, my goodness, with the Desarios. So we find new memories.
01:56 It's not just the sorrow. It's about sharing life events that are positive, and you need people to do that with.
02:04 We've definitely cried together. We've laughed, and we've shared some beautiful memories together. We can turn pain into purpose.
02:14 [MUSIC]
02:18 [MUSIC]
02:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]