Meghan Markle has expressed concern about the effects of social media on her two young children, Archie and Lilibet, during a joint appearance with Prince Harry at a mental health awareness event in New York.
The royal couple warned of online harm as parents, even though their children are still very young.
Meghan Markle expresses fears over social media’s impact on Archie and Lilibet
Speaking at the World Mental Health Day Festival on Tuesday, Meghan told the audience about her concerns as a parent about social media.
She said that even though Archie is four years old and Lilibet is only two and a half, the threat of social media still looms over them.
“Social media is not going away,” Meghan acknowledged. She added that even though her children are so young these days, “this will be in front of us.”
The Duchess of Sussex said she feels “lucky” that Archie and Lilibet are not yet exposed to the pitfalls of social media.
However, as a mother, she also feels “frightened” at how digital spaces meant for connection have drifted into something more sinister.
“But I will say, I feel fortunate that our children are at an age, again, quite young, so this isn’t in our immediate future, but I also feel frightened by how it’s continuing to change.”
Meghan describes social media as an “entry point that was supposed to be positive in creating community.”
But, in her view, something has gone wrong and it has proved detrimental, particularly for younger users.
Both Meghan and Harry stressed their commitment to shed light on the negative effects of social media during their appearance in New York.
Their goal is to help families facing problems online to make their voices heard.
Meghan also stated that her role as a mother is more important than anything else in her life, second only to being Prince Harry’s wife.
She reiterated feeling concerned about social media, but also hopeful about the progress made in regulation over the past year.
