Prince Harry struggled to contain his emotions as he addressed bereaved families who are taking on social media firms after the death of their children
Prince Harry had to fight to hold back the tears as he delivered an emotional impromptu speech. The Duke of Sussex met with bereaved families who have launched a legal challenge against some of the biggest tech companies after losing a loved one.
It came as parents gathered in Los Angeles after the start of the landmark trial, which will examine both Instagram and YouTube and if they are detrimental to young people’s mental health. The families say the social media sites are addictive by design – claims lawyers for Meta, which owns the platforms, reject. As he spoke to parents, Harry’s voice cracked, and he held back the tears as he told them: “None of you should be here. Thank you for doing everything that you’ve done.
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“Thank you for telling your stories over and over again. Truth, justice and accountability: those are the three things that will come from this.” It comes as both Harry and wife Meghan have previously warned about the impact of social media on young people. The Duke also told families last night in footage shown on BBC Breakfast: “We’ve said time and time again that this is a David versus Goliath situation.
“I’ve been in some similar situations myself – vastly different – but when you’re 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 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.”
Last year, at an event in New York called Project Healthy Minds, Harry also claimed that the digital world has “fundamentally changed how we experience reality”.
Meanwhile, Meghan spoke about the couple’s charity, the Archewell Foundation, and its work with families affected by social media harms, saying that healing depends on shared experience rather than isolation.
Harry, speaking about the widespread nature of mental health issues, said: “These are not separate problems for separate people. “They are interlocking injuries to our global community. Mental health is shaped by public health, foreign policy, climate policy, corporate design, and economic choices. Too often, decisions made by a few powerful actors ripple across the planet and into every aspect of our lives.”
He added that the digital world has “fundamentally changed how we experience reality — young people exposed to relentless comparison, harassment, misinformation and an attention economy designed to keep us scrolling at the expense of sleep and real human contact.”
Meanwhile, last November, the pair also signed an open letter calling for a ban on AI superintelligence alongside a raft of celebrities and politicians. The letter is squarely aimed at tech giants such as Google, OpenAI and Meta, which are believed to be building forms of artificial intelligence designed to surpass humans at many tasks.
The letter, which has also been signed by the likes of Stephen Fry, music star Will.i.am, as well as Sir Richard Branson and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, wants the development of such AI to be prohibited until “there is broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably, and strong public buy-in.”
And in the letter, Harry also added a personal note, saying: “The future of AI should serve humanity, not replace it. I believe the true test of progress will be not how fast we move, but how wisely we steer. There is no second chance.”
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