Harry and Meghan call for social media protections for children

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on Thursday called for stronger protections for children on social media saying “enough is not being done” as they unveiled a memorial in New York.

“We want to make sure that things are changed so that… no more kids are lost to social media,” the British prince told the BBC after he and Meghan unveiled a tribute to children who have died due to the dangers of the internet.

The “Lost Screen Memorial” is part of a project by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s non-profit Archewell Foundation to support parents whose children have been affected by online dangers.

The one-day installation is made up of 50 enlarged smartphone screens displaying photos of children who died “as a result of the harm they suffered on social media”.

According to the prince, who cut ties with the British royal family in 2020 and moved to California in the United States, tech firms are “getting away” with sub-par protections by citing privacy reasons.

“We’re just grateful that our kids are too young to be on social media at this point,” said Harry, who has a son, Archie, and a daughter, Lilibet, with Meghan, adding that “life is better off social media”.

The couple are committed to “creating a safer digital world” according to their website, and say they have been troubled by their treatment on social media and the British press.

Archewell Foundation’s website states: “The technology companies who profit from children’s time on their apps have an obligation to design them with safety in mind and should be held to safety standards.”

At a separate protest on Thursday, dozens of parents gathered near the New York office of tech giant Meta to demand better online protections for children, according to the BBC.

Also on Thursday the UK’s broadcasting regulator Ofcom announced that tech firms failing to prevent children from accessing harmful content will face fines or even elimination from the UK market under measures launching in July.