Prince Harry had some harsh words for social media and AI companies and indicated they aren’t doing enough to protect vulnerable children from harm as he and wife Meghan Markle advocated for parents coming together to keep their kids safe online.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were honored at mental health nonprofit Project Healthy Minds’ annual gala in New York on Thursday night. Receiving the Humanitarians of the Year Award, the couple was championed for their worldwide efforts to build a safer, more equitable digital space for families and kids and their work to advance mental well-being.
Introduced by Laura Marquez-Garrett of the Social Media Victims Law Center, which Harry and Meghan have worked with, Harry spoke about the work SMVLC has done to try to hold social media companies legally accountable for harm they inflict on vulnerable users and announced that the couple’s Parents Network initiative, part of their Archewell Foundation designed to be a support network for parents whose families have been impacted by social media, would join forces with the advocacy group Parents Together, a nonprofit organization providing reporting and commentary on issues that affect kids and families. Harry called the partnership “a natural evolution to enable the community to continue to grow and have more impact alongside the rapid rise of technology.” And Meghan said the “expansion … represents both our commitment as well as the acknowledgement that we need to reach more families to create greater and faster change.”
As Harry noted that the couple has “heard more and more stories from heartbroken families and watch[ed] parents all over the world become increasingly concerned about their children’s digital lives,” he highlighted the “extraordinary strength and determination of parents who refuse to give up because in any ordinary or logical situation, those responsible for creating the conditions and facilitating the circumstances where children are led and lured to such harm would be held accountable.”
“We are so proud that so many of these brave parents are taking a stand, dedicating themselves to fighting for change in a David versus Goliath situation, while educating others to the dangers so that they can be saved from the same exploitative practices and devastating consequences,” Harry added. “These families are not only up against corporations and lobbyists, many of whom spend 10s of millions of dollars every year in suppressing the truth but also algorithms designed to maximize data collection at any cost. And their kids, they weren’t struggling with mental health issues, they weren’t distinctly vulnerable, they were preyed upon.”
Harry also cited research from Parents Together that found that researchers posing as children on AI chatbot accounts experienced harmful interactions every five minutes.
“This wasn’t content created by a third party. These were the companies’ own chatbots working to advance their own depraved internal policies,” he said. “But here’s what gives us hope: these families aren’t facing this alone.”
“Kids and parents are coming together, mobilizing in inspiring ways,” Harry added. “Knowledge is power and community is strength, expanding the parents movement and supporting them throughout is how real change happens.”
Indeed, Harry and Meghan highlighted the value of parents joining forces to tackle these dangers.
“We know that when parents come together, when communities unite, waves are made. We’ve seen it happen, and we’re watching it grow, and with your support, we’ll continue building a safer digital world for all of our children,” Meghan said, adding that she and Harry were accepting the award for and in honor of the mothers and fathers in the Parents Network.
Meghan also took a moment to marvel at how fast her and Harry’s kids were growing up.
“Our children, Archie and Lilibet, are just 6 and 4 years old,” Meghan said. “Can you believe it?”
Connecting their advocacy to their family, she added, “Luckily still too young for social media, but we know that day is coming. Like so many parents, we think constantly about how to embrace technology’s benefits while safeguarding against its dangers. And that hopeful intention of separation is rapidly becoming impossible.”
The gala, at Manhattan’s Spring Studios, was hosted by Carson Daly, who spoke about his own struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, saying he even experienced the latter during his time on MTV’s Total Request Live. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was also on hand to honor Indianapolis Colts owner Kalen Jackson, who leads the NFL team’s “Kick the Stigma” initiative to raise awareness about mental health disorders. And the event was preceded by an art installation by designer and artist Keith Lissner, who used floral arrangements, The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” and computer generated images to highlight famous figures who had achieved greatness while battling mental health struggles, including Alexander McQueen, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Charles Darwin. Additionally, the gala featured performances from Canadian singer-songwriter Alexander Stewart and Grammy-nominated Danish soul-pop artist Lukas Graham.
