Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have launched an initiative aimed at tackling child safety online, called The Parents’ Network.
As part of the campaign, a group of parents have come together to help provide a “safe and supportive community (that) is available to all parents and carers navigating the complex digital world”.
This group includes those who “have first-hand knowledge of the pain and destruction caused by social media use.”
A description of the network on the Sussex Archewell Foundation website says: ‘TheEach of us has been through something no parent should ever have to experience, and our mission is to prevent anyone else from suffering like we did.
“We are here to provide support to anyone who has a child affected by social media. Our safe and supportive community is available to all parents and caregivers navigating the complex digital world.”
Harry and Meghan were pictured hugging parents from The Parents’ Network as they met in person for its launch.
Members of The Parents’ Network are pictured meeting in person for the launch of the new initiative.
The campaign, which carries the slogan #NoChildLostToSocialMedia, includes a video posted on the Foundation’s website and featuring parents who have lost their children to suicide due to online harm, among others whose children have suffered serious harm.
In addition to those who have lost children, The Parents’ Network aims to support those whose children are struggling with “ongoing issues of cyberbullying, depression and anxiety, sexual exploitation, eating disorders and a variety of other traumas related to social media use.”
According to the network: ‘Some are looking for ways to channel pain into a purpose. Others are simply trying to survive, while making sure our children do the same.
“We all seek safe and supportive environments where we can talk openly about experiences we often keep locked away, and build meaningful relationships with others who understand.”
Additionally, a list of three guides has been posted on the site, each addressing a social media platform, including Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.
The site describes the guides as “repurposed in collaboration with the Legal Center for Victims of Social Media.”
Compiled from information in the Center’s online social media guides, they include information on what each platform is used for and how caregivers can “enhance their child’s safety” while using them.
Alongside the campaign launch, the couple today gave their first formal broadcast interview together in three years, appearing on CBS News’ Sunday Morning show.
Presenter Jane Pauley described the new project as a “modest beginning,” to which Meghan responded that they “had to start somewhere.” (Pictured: Prince Harry hugs a member of The Parents’ Network)
During the interview with host Jane Pauley, the couple said they want to “be part of a change for the better” when it comes to the “online space.”
“Our kids are young – they’re three and five,” said Meghan, who wore a £12,800 Cartier necklace and £1,485 Ralph Lauren ensembles for the appearance.
“They’re wonderful, but all we want to do as parents is protect them. So, as we can see what’s happening in the online space, we know there’s a lot of work to be done there and we’re happy to be able to be a part of changing things for the better.”
Harry added: ‘At this point, we’ve reached the stage where almost every parent has to be the first to respond.
“Even the best first responders in the world wouldn’t be able to spot the signs of a possible suicide. That’s the scariest part of all this.”
Meghan, who turns 43 today, also spoke about having suicidal thoughts. The duchess first said she had suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior royal, when the couple were being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey three years ago.
During the interview published today, she said she hopes her candor will help others and encourage people to check in on their friends.
“There’s a common thread that runs through the process when you’re going through any level of grief or trauma,” Meghan said.
‘Part of your healing journey, and certainly part of mine, is being open about it.
“I haven’t really been able to fully understand my experience. I would never want anyone else to feel that way. I would never want anyone else to make these plans. I would never want anyone else not to be believed.”
She added: “So if expressing what I’ve overcome will save someone or encourage someone in their life to really genuinely care about them, without assuming that looks are good, without assuming that everything is okay, then I’ll take it.”
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan spoke about child safety online during an interview on CBS News Sunday Morning (pictured)
The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah in 2021 that she “couldn’t be left alone” and told her husband she “didn’t want to be alive anymore” before claiming Buckingham Palace’s HR department ignored her plea for help because she was not a “paid employee.”
Meghan described how she considered ending her life believing it was “the best thing for everyone,” saying: “I knew if I didn’t say it, I would. I just didn’t want to be alive. And that was a constant thought, very clear and real and terrifying. I remember him rocking me. I told him I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said ‘I’d never felt like that before and I needed to go somewhere.’ And I was told I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
She said that after confiding in her husband, she was forced to go to the Royal Albert Hall for a charity event in January 2019, claiming that photos from that night “haunt me”.
She told Oprah she then reached out to one of Diana, Princess of Wales’s closest friends because she felt unsupported by the palace.
Meghan said: “When I joined that family, that was the last time I saw my passport, my driver’s licence, my keys – all of that is handed over.” Meghan said Harry had “saved my life” by agreeing to move to Los Angeles.
In the interview, Harry and Meghan also met with a group of parents who lost their children to suicide. Harry also spoke about the “scariest thing” about social media: “absolutely anyone” can lose a loved one.
The interview shared today by the American network CBS featured a clip of Meghan hugging her grieving parents (pictured)
‘We always talk about how, in the old days, if there are children under your roof, you know what they’re doing. At least they’re safe.
“But now they could, in the next room, on a tablet or a phone, go down those rabbit holes, and within 24 hours they could be taking their own life.”
Responding to host Jane Pauley, who described the network as having a “modest beginning” and adding that it is “not an army of parents,” Meghan said: “You have to start somewhere. Anyone watching this or anyone who can make a change needs to look through the lens of ‘what if this was my son or daughter? ‘”
“Your son or daughter comes home happy, whom I love, and one day, right under my roof, our whole life changes because of something that is completely out of my control. And if you look at it as a parent, there’s no other way to look at it than to try to find a solution.”
For confidential assistance in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit www.samaritanos.org For more details, in the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
