NEW YORK ― Prince Harry and Meghan Markle marked World Mental Health Day with an emotional outing on Tuesday, where they spoke about the dangers of social media and Meghan named the “most important thing” in her life.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex participated in the Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit in New York City, part of Project Healthy Mind’s second annual World Mental Health Day Festival.
The summit focused on mental wellness in the digital age, and included appearances from parents who shared heartbreaking stories about the loss of their children and how it was connected to their social media use.
Tony and Brandy Roberts and Dave and Jennie DeSerio spoke at the summit about losing their children to suicide in connection with social media. They described the apps their children used, how algorithms led their kids to dark corners of the internet, and how the tech companies and their products were smarter even than internet-savvy parents.
Meghan said during her panel appearance that it was “just devastating” to hear stories from the families with whom Archewell began working a year ago. She said she found it “impossible to not be in tears” while hearing the parents speak about the losses they’d suffered.
“Though our kids are really young ― two and a half, and four and a half ― social media is not going away,” the duchess said, adding that she believed that at one point, social media was positive and focused on creating community.
“Something has devolved. And there’s no way to hear that and not try to help these families have their stories be heard,” she said. “My husband and I often say, if there is going to be so much focus on what we’re doing, then try to focus on what we’re focusing on. Because their stories are what matter.”
Toward the end of the panel, moderator Carson Daly asked Meghan about the work that Archewell is doing related to online safety.
“Where is this on the priority list, not as a kick-ass woman, but as a mom?” Daly said, adding a quick “Excuse my French!” as Meghan laughed.
“Being a mom is the most important thing in my entire life — outside of course, being a wife to this one,” Meghan said, as Harry smiled beside her. “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 at how it’s continuing to change, and this will be in front of us.”
“It worries me, but I’m also given a lot of hope and energy by the progress we’ve made in the past year, being able to have these incredible parents, these survivors of these experiences, share their stories,” she said. “Everyone now is affected by the online world and social media ― some more than others. But we all just want to feel safe.”
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy offered up guidelines of his own, telling the audience that he and his wife are waiting to let their children use social media after they’ve completed middle school. Even then, Murthy said, they’ll reevaluate before giving their kids the full go-ahead.
He added that working alongside other parents to enforce online rules also helps, and can reduce social pressure for kids.
“Whenever one of our kids say ‘I’m the only one not on it,’ we can say, ‘No, Harry and Meghan’s kids aren’t on it either!’” Murthy said to laughs.
Prince William and Kate Middleton also marked World Mental Health Day on Tuesday by hosting a forum for youth in Birmingham, England.
The Princess of Wales said in a speech that she and William “both care deeply” about mental health. She also alluded to the power, and dangers, of social media.
“We are living in a world... that is changing so fast,” Kate said. “Social media and concerns about the threat of conflict, pandemics, climate change or the cost of living can impact our emotional well-being and future hopes dramatically.”
“William and I believe we need to do all we can as a society to help young people develop the emotional and social life skills they need for good mental health, and to thrive in the world around them,” she added. “Both learning about the world and learning about how to be happy and thrive within it should go hand in hand.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales also on Tuesday shared new research from their Royal Foundation, which surveyed more than 3,000 people in the UK between the ages of 16 and 24.
Of those surveyed, almost 40% said they don’t think they currently manage their emotions very well, while 95% said they believe their acquaintances are experiencing mental health struggles.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.