Prince Harry struggled to hold back tears as he described the battle against the dangers of social media for children as a “David versus Goliath situation.”
On Wednesday, the 41-year-old royal attended a gathering in Los Angeles, where he met with grieving British families who have lost children and are now pursuing legal action against Instagram and YouTube.
The high-profile case, unfolding in California, will examine whether the tech giants bear responsibility for harming young people’s mental health.
“Truth, Justice and Accountability”
Harry, who was reportedly accompanied by his wife Meghan Markle, commended the bereaved parents for their courage in “telling [their] stories over and over again” and for uniting around the shared mission of bringing “truth, justice and accountability” into focus.
“We’ve said time and time again that this is a David versus Goliath situation. I’ve been in some similar situations myself, [others] vastly different,” he told the families in footage shared by the BBC.
“But when you were sitting in court and if you have that feeling of just overwhelming emotion because you can’t believe that the people on the other side are saying what they’re saying, that by the very nature of them defending what they’re defending, the lies that they are stating, is devaluing life, is devaluing your children’s lives, if that brings stuff up for you, it is totally normal.”
He reassured the parents that their feelings were valid and that they should not carry shame or doubt. As he continued, his voice faltered and he became overcome with emotion.
“As I said, none of you should be here. So, thank you for doing everything that you’ve done. Thank you for telling your stories over and over again.
“Truth, justice and accountability. Those are the three things that will come from this,” he concluded, fighting back tears.
A Longstanding Campaign
This appearance is far from the first time Prince Harry has raised concerns about the risks social media poses to young people.
Earlier, while accepting the Project Healthy Minds’ Humanitarians of the Year Award alongside Meghan, he used the platform to criticize tech companies and caution that children face serious dangers from unregulated artificial intelligence.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also openly backed Australia’s groundbreaking law banning social media access for children under 16.
In a statement released through their charity, the Archewell Foundation, they wrote:
“Australia takes bold action to protect kids online.
“But it shouldn’t have come to this.”
