Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Delivers a Dire Warning on Social Media’s Harm to Children and Society at CGI
Standing on stage — in front of a wall of children who’ve died at the hand of social media harms, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, delivered a blistering speech at the Clinton Global Initiative in NYC, that called for immediate action to combat the devastating effects of social media on children. His message was unequivocal: the world is failing its youth by allowing tech companies to profit from platforms that cause harm, and it is time for this to stop.
Reflecting on humanity’s greatest achievements — from the launch of Sputnik to the first human steps on the Moon — Prince Harry contrasted these moments of progress with the darker reality of today’s digital age. “We dreamed the unimaginable and built the impossible,” he said, but warned that the technological landscape we inhabit now is deeply harmful, especially for children. His words echoed through the room, underscoring the urgency of addressing the crisis.
A Crisis Ignored: Children in the Crosshairs of Social Media
Prince Harry wasted no time exposing the grim truth: social media platforms are not merely causing accidental harm to children; they are designed to do so. “Young people today are disproportionately affected by negative experiences online and mental health issues stemming from their digital interactions,” he said, citing statistics and personal stories that illustrate the damage being done to an entire generation.
The most chilling part of his speech came when he explained that this is no coincidence. It’s a calculated feature of these platforms. “These platforms are designed to create addiction,” Prince Harry declared. “Young people are kept there by mindless, endless, numbing scrolling, being force-fed content that no child should ever be exposed to.” His words pierced through the typical tech industry narratives of innovation and progress, exposing a system designed to profit at the expense of mental health.
Social Media: Targeting Our Children by Design
The Duke of Sussex didn’t mince words about who was being hurt the most: children. “Our kids are being targeted,” he said bluntly. “The harmful effects of social media are made by design.” This was not a problem to be brushed aside as an unintended consequence; it’s a crisis created by companies that prioritize profit over responsibility. The platforms that have become integral to modern life are not neutral spaces — they are engineered to hook users, including children, and exploit their vulnerabilities.
Prince Harry called out the leaders of these companies directly, challenging the complacency that allows these harms to continue. “Why do the leaders of these insanely powerful social media companies still refuse to change?” he asked. “Why are we holding them to the lowest ethical standards?” It was a striking indictment of the lack of accountability within Big Tech, and his frustration was palpable.
The Parents Network: Turning Pain Into Purpose
In response to these tragic realities, Prince Harry highlighted The Parents Network, a global initiative launched to support parents who have lost children due to the harmful effects of social media. He spoke with deep emotion about the network’s mission, stating, “It’s why we launched the Parents Network, a global community that provides crucial support to parents whose children have suffered from the harmful effects of social media.”
Through trauma-informed practices and a supportive, peer-led environment, The Parents Network allows families to turn their grief into action. “Our platform provides an opportunity for parents to turn their pain into purpose, ultimately changing the very system that stole their child,” Prince Harry explained. This wasn’t just about healing; it was about taking back power from the platforms that had caused irreparable damage.
A Call for Immediate Action and Accountability
Prince Harry’s speech wasn’t just a lament — it was a rallying cry for change. He demanded more than superficial fixes and called for a complete rethinking of the digital landscape, one that prioritizes children’s safety over corporate profits. He emphasized that it’s not enough to rely on IQ and innovation alone; we must also foster emotional intelligence. “We must raise them to know that IQ without EQ will always fall short,” he said, stressing the need to empower young people with tools like digital literacy and critical thinking to protect themselves from the dangers of the online world.
But his most forceful appeal was for accountability. “Why are we holding them to the lowest ethical standards?” he asked, urging parents, leaders, and shareholders to demand real, tangible changes from tech companies. The safety of children, he argued, must be non-negotiable. “We need platforms that mirror our highest values, designed with safety in mind. But in the meantime, we can’t wait. Our kids can’t wait.”
Redefining the Future of Social Media
The Duke of Sussex’s speech also pointed to the broader societal impact of social media, highlighting how the spread of misinformation and the manipulation of facts are sowing division and confusion. “When many in our world today seem to conflate opinion as fact and fact as opinion, we have to work hard to seek and reveal truth,” he said. The rise of polarization, amplified by social media algorithms, is a direct threat to the stability and unity of society itself.
His closing words carried a sense of urgency and responsibility. “We were promised a human experience, yet we’ve been a human experiment,” he said, a poignant reflection on how far the digital age has drifted from its original promise. It’s not too late to change course, but Prince Harry made it clear: the time for action is now.
