Harry and Meghan break silence with emotional message on keeping children safe

01 February 2024 , 07:40

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have issued a rare statement (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made a rare public statement, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex speaking out on child safety amid the US Senate Judiciary Committee's bi-partisan hearing about online child safety.

The former senior working royals, who are parents to one son and one daughter, have penned a moving statement after the hearing took place in front of a packed room filled with dozens of parents whose children have suffered or died due to online harms.

According to the couple's foundation, The Archewell Foundation, they have been working with many of these families "to provide a support network for parents dealing with grief or who have children managing serious mental health conditions as a result of their exposure to harmful online content."

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The Duke and Duchess spoke out at a mental health event last year, with the cause close to both of their hearts (Getty Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are co-founders of The Archewell Foundation, have said: "We applaud the bravery and determination of the thousands of parents around the country whose advocacy resulted in this hearing.

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"Over the past few years, we have spent time with many of these families, listening to their heartache and their hopes for the urgent change that is needed in the online space. This is an issue that transcends division and party lines, as we saw today at the Senate hearing. The best parenting in the world cannot keep children safe from these platforms. As one of the fathers shared with us: ‘If love could have saved them, all of our children would still be here.’

"This is not the time to pass the buck of responsibility. It’s the time to make necessary change at the source to keep our children safe."

Fans of the couple have taken to social media to applaud them for the work that they and their foundation are doing. One person penned: "Thank You to Archewell for assisting in trying to keep our children safe online. I applaud you!"

Another added: "H&M always working behind the scenes." A third person then penned: "Good on H&M. A needed cause. An epidemic, so many parents appearing in news, devastated, broken that their kids killed themselves. Schools/authorities doing nothing. Even excluding bullied kids!"

Mollie Quirk