Meghan Markle admits she's 'frightened' for Archie and Lilibet's futures as she shares fears over social media

The Duchess of Sussex has expressed her fears for Archie and Lilibet's future social media use as she spoke on a panel for the Archewell Foundation’s Parents' Summit, alongside her husband Prince Harry.

Stepping out in a chic ivory, off-the-shoulder pantsuit, Meghan Markle made a very candid admission during a panel event for World Mental Health Day on Tuesday, October 10. The mother-of-two revealed that she's 'frightened' of the prospect of her two children joining social media, due to its detrimental effect on young people.

"As parents," Meghan said, "though our kids are really young - they're two and a half and four and a half - social media is not going away."

Addressing the audience, she then admitted that though she feels fortunate that  Archie and Lilibet joining social media is not in their 'immediate future,' she knows the time will come eventually. This further fuels her concerns, as she added, "I also feel frightened by how it's continuing to change."

In another breath, Meghan confessed that "being a mom is the most important thing in my entire life," before gesturing to Prince Harry, "Outside, of course, being a wife to this one," so the risks of social media in her children's future, like for many other parents, is an ever-present concern for them.

Meghan continued, "This will be in front of us. As they say, 'Being a parent, the days are long but the years are short.' So it worries me, but I'm also given a lot of hope and a lot of energy by the progress we've made in the last year."

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Speaking on social media platforms as a whole, Meghan remarked, "I think by design, there was an entry point that was supposed to be positive in creating community and something has devolved, and there's no way to hear that and not try to help these families have their stories be heard."

The Archewell Foundation Parents' Summit explored how the internet, in particular, social media platforms, can be damaging to the mental health of young people, with parents sharing their stories of how their families have been adversely affected. Before taking part in the panels themselves, Harry and Meghan joined the audience to listen to their experiences, with Meghan revealing she was moved to tears.

This event marks one of the many instances in which Prince Harry and Meghan have spoken out about the risks of social media, with the former also detailing his own journey with his mental health - for instance, in his docu-series with Oprah Winfrey.

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