Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Share Emotional Message After Senate Child Safety Hearing

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are standing with the families of children affected by the pitfalls of social media

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry show their support after a US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on children’s online safety on Wednesday.

“We salute the courage and determination of the thousands of parents across the country whose advocacy resulted in this hearing,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement posted on the Archwell Foundation website on Wednesday.

The Archewell Foundation works with families to provide a support network for parents who are struggling with grief or have children with serious mental health conditions as a result of their exposure to harmful online content, the foundation said.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Matt Dunham – WPA Collection/Getty

“Over the past few years, we have spent time with many of these families, listening to their pain and hopes for the urgent change that is needed in the online space,” Harry and Meghan’s statement continued. “This is an issue that transcends division and party lines, as we saw today in the Senate hearing.”

“The best parenting in the world cannot protect children from these platforms,” ​​said Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42.

Meghan and Prince Harry have spent years working alongside relatives and loved ones of victims and have used their feedback to make suggestions to political leaders about how positive change can be made.

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Their statement ended with a quote from a father whose child was affected by the harmful effects of social media: “If love could have saved them, all our children would still be here. This is not the time to shift responsibility. It is time to make the necessary change at the source to keep our children safe.”

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Their statement followed a congressional hearing on social media, during which Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel were among those called out by senators for the influence their platforms have on the general public, especially young and vulnerable people.

Parents of children who suffered or died due to harmful Internet content or pressure were also present at the hearing.

During Wednesday’s “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis” hearing, Zuckerberg, 39, apologized after being told about the large number of underage girls exposed to nudity on apps he oversees.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, talks directly to victims.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty

“I’m sorry for everything you’ve all been through,” he said as he faced the crowd. “It’s terrible. No one should have to go through what your families have gone through.”

He added: “That’s why we’ve invested so much and will continue to make efforts across the industry to make sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer.”

Spiegel (33) also apologized.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.

Bryan Bedder/Getty

Meghan and Harry previously spoke about the challenges of parenting and social media at World Mental Health Day in October in New York.

The Suits The alum stated that after hearing some of the families speak, “it was impossible not to be in tears listening to their stories because it’s just devastating.”

“Social media is not going away,” Megan added.

“I think that for us, for me and my wife, with children growing up in the digital age, the priority is to turn pain into purpose again and provide as much support as possible, as well as a center of attention and a platform for these parents to come together, heal, grieve and also to collectively focus on solutions so that no other family anywhere has to go through what they went through,” said Harry.

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Source: HIS Education