Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have today unveiled an installation remembering 50 children who have died due to the dangers of social media, declaring, ‘Enough is not being done’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to ensure that ‘no more kids are lost to social media’(Image: Getty Images for TIME)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have called for better protection for children using social media platforms, declaring, “enough is not being done”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, alongside their Archewell Foundation, today unveiled a poignant memorial in New York City. The installation, which has been named The Lost Screen Memorial, honours children who have died due to the dangers of social media.
The thought-provoking installation, which will stay open for 24 hours, is made up of 50 smartphones, each one of which displays a lock screen photograph of a child who has sadly lost their life.
The heartbreaking pictures were shared by the children’s parents, who are part of the Archewell Foundation Parents’ Network, in a bid to raise awareness of the need for greater online safety measures.
Prince Harry has expressed that he is ‘grateful’ that Archie and Lilibet are still too young for social media(Image: GC Images)
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Speaking with BBC Breakfast in New York, Prince Harry, 40, said: “We want to make sure that things are changed so that… no more kids are lost to social media.”
Remarking that “life is better off social media”, the father of two went on to add he was “grateful” that his and Meghan’s children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, are currently still too young to use the internet.
He continued: “The easiest thing to say is to keep your kids away from social media. The sad reality is the kids who aren’t on social media normally get bullied at school because they can’t be part of the same conversation as everybody else.”
The Sussexes have now backed calls to technology firms that parents should be able to access information on the phones of children who have passed away, amid an ongoing debate over privacy.
The Sussexes have backed calls to technology firms that parents should be able to access information on the phones of their dead children(Image: archewell_sussex_/Instagram)
Harry argued: “You are telling a parent, you are telling a dad and a mum that they can’t have the details of what their kid was up to on social media because of the privacy of their kid. It’s wrong.”
Praising parents who are speaking out on this difficult topic, Meghan, 43, stated: “I think in many ways what we see through these parents is the hope and the promise of something better, because… they just want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
Parents were invited to view the installation in New York(Image: archewell_sussex_/Instagram)
A virtual version of The Lost Screen Memorial will also include stories of each one of the 50 children, with some parents even recording and sharing a personal voice message.
Parents were invited to view the installation in New York, where Harry and Meghan joined 50 affected families for a private vigil.
Meghan has praised fellow parents for speaking out about the potential dangers found online(Image: meghan/Instagram)
This comes as social media giants are sent a final list of child protection measures they must enact before July, or else run the risk of being fined a whopping 10 per cent of their global turnover.
As of this summer, media regulator Ofcom will enforce a legal responsibility for social media firms to make sure their websites are safe for youngsters to use.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has today described this move as a “watershed moment” in turning the tide on “toxic experiences” all too often encountered in the online world of social media.
In accordance with the Online Safety Act, social media companies have been ordered to tame toxic algorithms, take faster action to remove harmful content, and introduce proper age checks.
Harry and Meghan joined 50 affected families for a private vigil(Image: archewell_sussex_/Instagram)
Tech companies are now expected to assess the risk of harm to children on their platforms following the publication of Ofcom’s final children’s safety codes today (April 24). From July onwards, protections will be fully enforceable, and firms that don’t comply could face severe enforcement action from Ofcom.
For example, they could be fined £18 million or up to 10% of their global revenue. Other business disruption measures may also be imposed, including requiring payment providers or advertising services to withdraw from online sites. In the most extreme cases, Ofcom will also have the power to seek court orders prohibiting access to a site within the UK.
