Meghan Markle Shares One Thing That ‘Frightens’ Her & Prince Harry as Parents

Every parent has their own set of worries for their children. But in the age of social media, parents today must be on guard against digital bullying, online predators, and mental health struggles of kids growing up with the internet in their hands. Meghan Markle opened up about how much this “frightens” her in a vulnerable new speech.

Markle and husband Prince Harry, who share kids Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet “Lili” Diana, 2, appeared at the Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival in New York City yesterday. They spoke at a panel on behalf of their Archewell Foundation titled “Mental Wellness in the Digital Age.” During the talk, Meghan revealed she’s worried for the future, despite her kids still being “really young.”

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“Being a mom is the most important thing in my entire life — outside, of course, being a wife to this one,” she said, gesturing to Harry, per PEOPLE. “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.”

The summit featured parents who have experienced tragic loss connected to their child’s social media use, and the Duchess of Sussex addressed these parents in her speech. “They say being a parent, the days are long but the years are short,” Markle said. “So 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 — and the more information gathering we’re able to do, the more we can move the needle a little bit.”

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She went on, “Everyone is affected by the online world and social media. We all just want to feel safe. I’m confident that with more ears and awareness and visibility of what is really happening, we can make some significant change together.”

Prince Harry also highlighted the grieving parents during the summit. “I can’t start without thanking all the parents, the mothers and fathers for being with us physically today, but also being on this journey with us for the last year, creating this community of shared experience,” he said after taking the stage with Markle, per PEOPLE. “We know it’s not easy for you guys to be here so thank you very much.”

“I think for us, for myself and my wife, with kids growing up in a digital age, the priority here is to again turn pain into purpose and provide as much support as well as a spotlight and a platform for these parents to come together, to heal, to grieve and to also collectively focus on solutions so that no other family anywhere has to go through what they’ve been through,” he continued.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex founded the Archewell Foundation in 2020. In Feb. 2023, Archewell announced it was backing the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund “as part of the foundation’s ongoing commitment to the future of technology and its impact on society.” This is just one of many ways the foundation is working toward a better future.

Of course, the couple themselves quit social media in March 2020, writing a statement on their official account that said in part, “As we all find the part we are to play in this global shift and changing of habits, we are focusing this new chapter to understand how we can best contribute. While you may not see us here, the work continues.”

It may be scary thinking about your kids’ future (and present) experience with social media, but parents can learn a lot from the Sussexes. It’s OK to worry — but even better to turn that fear into action to help make the digital landscape a better place.

These celebrity parents have gotten honest about their rules when it comes to technology.

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