rince Harry provided a glimpse into his family life during an impassioned talk at a high-level panel event in New York on Tuesday, where he appeared alongside ex-president Bill Clinton.
Eager to further the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, the Duke of Sussex was a prominent attendee at the Clinton Foundation forum, aimed at addressing grave global issues such as the climate crisis, homelessness, and the often-overlooked calamity of lead poisoning.
Amidst his potent oration, Harry shared a seldom-seen slice of personal life, gently touching on how the digital world might impact his little ones, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, expressing: “I stand before you today to speak about the pervasive threat that our online world poses to us, especially our children. If we allow the status quo to remain in an age where our lives are intertwined with technology, we cannot afford to only see the online world as a space for profitability, competition, and rapid growth instead.”
Without mincing his words, the Duke delivered a grave message to online platforms, appearing visibly distressed as he declared: “These platforms are designed to create addiction. Young people are kept there by mindless, endless, numbing, scrolling, being force fed content that no child should ever be exposed to. I, like many of you, do not grow up with a phone. Young people today possess an incredible understanding of technology that older generations may struggle to grasp,” reports the Mirror.
Describing the digital world as overwhelmingly dangerous for young users, Harry emphasized that the ongoing mental health crisis among youth is “compounded by the relentless spread of unreliable and unfounded information, leaving many feeling isolated, confused and scared.”
Harry gave a rare glimpse into his life with kids, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet (
Image:
Getty Images)
In a stirring segment of his speech, the Duke took out his phone and shared: “My lock screen is a picture of my kids. What’s yours?” Subsequently, a series of personal phone lock screens materialized on the screen behind the Prince, and he continued: “These children and thousands more meant the world to their families. The beautiful faces you see before you, their smiles, their dreams, all lost, all too soon and all because of social media.”
He credited the faces of those lost young lives as the drive behind the inception of the Archewell Foundation’s Parents Network, which aims to provide solace and support to parents dealing with children affected by online dangers.
In a humorous reference to his youthful escapades that drew laughter from the crowd, Harry remarked: “Some say kids will be kids and well, that may well be true. Kids may get into trouble. I know a thing or two about that. But our kids are being targeted. The harmful effects of social media are made by design.”