Prince Harry and Meghan Discuss the Harmful Effects of Social Media on Today’s Youth

Guests savored prosecco while enjoying vibrant discussions as dessert was served at the third annual Project Health Minds Gala on Thursday evening.

As the night wrapped up, one notable award remained: Humanitarian of the Year. This year’s accolade went to Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, recognizing their establishment of The Parents Network via their nonprofit, the Archewell Foundation. This initiative supports families affected by social media.

Earlier this year, The Parents Network organized an event that featured large smartphone displays showcasing the faces of young children who tragically lost their lives under circumstances their parents attribute to social media impact.

The Gala, put together by the nonprofit Project Healthy Minds, is dedicated to offering free mental health services, especially for young people facing the hurdles of a technology-driven world. Both the event and the subsequent day’s conference highlighted how young individuals and their parents perceive social media, emphasizing its serious effects on mental health.

“Let me share a number with you,” Prince Harry stated as he and his wife accepted the award. “Four thousand. That’s the number of families the Social Media Victims Law Center is currently representing.”

That statistic only pertains to parents who have managed to connect their child’s distress with social media and are prepared to “combat the wealth and influence of some of the largest corporations,” he observed.

“We have observed the rise of unregulated artificial intelligence, listened to countless narratives from mourning families, and seen parents globally growing more anxious about their children’s online journeys,” Prince Harry added.

He pointed out that these families are up against corporations and lobbyists pouring millions into hiding the truth; that algorithms are crafted to “maximize data collection at any expense,” and he expressed concern that social media is taking advantage of minors.

He particularly criticized Apple for breaches of privacy and Meta for asserting that privacy restrictions would cost them billions. He spoke about AI hazards and recounted a study where researchers, pretending to be children, interacted with a popular AI chatbot. “They encountered harmful experiences every five minutes,” he remarked.

“This wasn’t content created by a third party,” he stressed. “These were the company’s own chatbots operating in line with their flawed internal policies.”

A hallmark announcement of the night was that The Parents Network would join forces with ParentsTogether, another organization focused on family advocacy and online safety, to bolster efforts in shielding children from social media dangers.

This isn’t Prince Harry’s first foray into voicing concerns about social media’s negative impacts. In April, he engaged with young leaders in Brooklyn to discuss the growing sway of tech platforms prioritizing profit over safety. In January, both he and Meghan criticized Meta for undermining free speech after the announcement of updates to its fact-checking policy.

Their worries about the influence of tech companies strike a chord widely.

Many studies have pointed out the harmful consequences of social media on youth, contributing to a mental health crisis and heightening feelings of isolation. The following day, coinciding with World Mental Health Day, Project Healthy Minds hosted a festival centered on mental health. Some sessions involved collaboration with Prince Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation to engage parents, advocates, and experts in discussions about how social media has altered childhood.

Following the Gala was a Festival About Mental Health

The opening panel titled “How Are Young People Doing in the Digital Age” was introduced by Harry.

One panelist, Katie, recounted how, at the young age of 12, TikTok inundated her For You page with dieting and weight loss content, ultimately leading her to develop an eating disorder.

Another panelist, Isabel Sunderland, who leads policy initiatives for the organization Design It For Us, which advocates for safer social media, shared a distressing episode involving an article about the Myanmar genocide, which Meta’s platform, Facebook, was accused of inflaming. This incident propelled her to seek understanding of how the platforms she frequently used could serve as tools for spreading “hate and violence.” At first, she thought it was her fault for stumbling upon harmful content like supportive of eating disorders.

“Through my research, I found that social media corporations deliberately design their platforms to foster addiction and prolong user engagement,” she elaborated.

The next panel, focusing on childhood, delved deeper into the ramifications of social media on children. It was introduced by Meghan and moderated by journalist Katie Couric.

The panel commenced with Jonathan Haidt, author of the renowned yet contentious book, The Anxious Generation, sharing his insights.

Anxiety levels are rising. Rates of depression are climbing. Children face hurdles in school. A growing number are finding their lives devoid of purpose. Opportunities for outdoor play are diminishing. They are missing out on essential social cues due to lack of real-world interactions. Boys are being led toward potential gambling addictions. Young people lack the skills to handle real-life conflicts as their online presence grows.

Even as states attempt to pass legislation, they encounter robust opposition — tech lobbyists are ready to resist any transformation.

“Play is essential for brain growth,” Haidt clarified to Couric during the discussion. “When animals miss out on play during their formative years, they grow up significantly more anxious as adults.”

There’s also a notable decline in appropriate boredom time — those moments when one peers out the window during a car ride or gazes blankly while waiting in line. Such periods allowed the brain a breather, now supplanted by scrolling through devices.

Amy Neville, community manager of The Parents’ Network and president of the Alexander Neville Foundation, participated in the panel. She sadly lost her son, Alexander, to an overdose and is currently suing Snapchat for enabling drug dealers access to him.

“I quickly realized families across the U.S. were waking up to discover their children dead in their rooms due to pills purchased on Snapchat,” she disclosed. Her lawsuit is progressing. “It feels like a life-or-death battle,” she asserted, “and I’m prepared for it.”

Another mother, Kirsten, also took the stage. She is the mother of Katie, the young girl from the prior panel. Kirsten believed she was being observant — checking her daughter’s phone nightly and securing it before bed. Nonetheless, Katie still ended up hospitalized with an eating disorder.

Kirsten reviewed text messages and browsing history, ultimately receiving an article that highlighted how TikTok was promoting eating disorder content to young girls.

“My husband and I were oblivious to the For You page,” she revealed. “This wasn’t content my daughter sought; it was delivered to her repeatedly.”

The overall message from that panel — consistent with both events — was a clarion call for increased action.

Throughout the gathering, attendees urged for enhanced legislative measures, greater accountability from tech companies, more dialogues, and collaborative efforts to delineate boundaries between society and social media. Despite the lurking dangers, a sense of optimism persists on the horizon.

“We can and will foster the movement that every family and child deserves,” Meghan proclaimed at the Gala. “We know that when parents rally together, when communities unite, waves of change ensue. We have witnessed this transformation, and it continues to gain momentum.”