Harry and Meghan Speak Out About Social Media and Mental Health in NYC: ‘Turn Pain Into Purpose’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got candid about the negative impact social media is having on today's youth in an increasingly chaotic climate.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke during Project Healthy Minds' second annual World Mental Health Day Festival in New York City on Tuesday, where their Archewell Foundation hosted the Parents' Summit: Mental Wellness in the Digital Age, with The Messenger in attendance.

"For myself and my wife, with kids growing up in the digital age, the priority here is to turn pain into purpose and provide as much support, as well as a spotlight and a platform for these parents to come together," Harry said. "To heal together, to grieve together, but also to collectively focus on solutions so that no other family anywhere has to go through what they've been through."

The Duke and Duchess share son Archie, 4, and daughter Lilibet, 2.

Harry and Meghan acted as panelists alongside U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy. The panel was moderated by Carson Daly. The room was filled with many parents who had lost children to suicide in relation to social media use, some of whom spoke earlier in the afternoon.

"Once we started to realize how many people, how many families, how many parents there were in the U.S., but also around the world, that have suffered the greatest loss, we quickly realized there was no one really in the space bringing them together," Harry explained of Archewell's involvement in the cause.

Additionally, Meghan spoke to the power of the social media algorithm, particularly as it relates to young women.

"If a young girl is going on looking for healthy recipes, but an algorithm starts giving her nothing but thin-spiration and anorexia and she's hospitalized as a result of that, there are so many twists and turns that can be avoided," she shared. "We're hoping to be part of that solution, all of us as a community."

The Duchess further acknowledged the intense social media scrutiny she and Harry often find themselves under, which she's hoping to turn into something positive.

"My husband and I often say if there's going to be so much focus on what we're doing, to try and focus on what we're focusing on because their stories are what matter," she said.

Meghan also noted that the pervasiveness of social media isn't only something that impacts young people or those with children.

"Even if you're not a parent, you see your friends affected," she said. "You see adults who are affected by this. Everyone now is affected by the online world and social media, some more than others. We all just want to feel safe. You want to community, you want to feel connected."

Before Harry and Meghan took the stage, Archewell Foundation co-executive director James Holt moderated a panel with two sets of parents — Toney and Brandy Roberts and Dave and Jennie DeSerio — who lost their children to suicide. Harry and Meghan watched from the front row.

Both families discussed the adverse effects that social media can have on young people, especially when parents are unaware of what their children are doing online.

The Roberts' daughter Englyn died in August 2020. They eventually sued Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, claiming their daughter copied a simulated hanging video she watched on Instagram.

The second panel — also moderated by Daly — featured three fathers discussing how connecting through the Archewell Foundation has benefited their own mental health.

Chris Dawley, featured on the panel, lost his son CJ to suicide in 2015. Last year, he and his wife Donna filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Meta and Snapchat. The couple alleged their son had developed a social media addiction through the "addictive design" of the social media platforms.

The royals' trip to New York marked Harry and Meghan's first time in the city since a "near catastrophic car chase" in May, which lasted over two hours and resulted in multiple near collisions, according to a spokesperson for the couple.