Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have spoken out after Australia’s new social media ban was enforced.
From December 10, under-16s have been kicked out of their social media accounts in Australia as part of new measures aimed at protecting children.
Tech companies will have to take steps to ensure that under-16s cannot rejoin their sites, and the move has largely been supported by families.
The landmark rules are the first of their kind worldwide, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have now voiced their support for the new measures.
In a statement through their Archewell Foundation, they praised the Australian government for starting an “urgent intervention to address unsafe and addictive platforms”.
“We celebrate Australia’s leadership for seeing and acting on how these technology companies are negatively impacting young people with little to no recourse or accountability, and feeble efforts from the companies to stem the flow of harms,” their statement read.
“This bold, decisive action to protect children at a critical moment in their development sends a strong signal that a child’s mind is not a commodity to be exploited.
“It buys young people valuable time back in their childhoods, but it doesn’t fix the fundamental issue we all still face with social media platforms.”
“We hope this ban is only the start of a reckoning between society and the tech companies that built these platforms with growth as their first principle instead of safety,” they added.
Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, went on to note how social media can be a force for good and a “lifeline” for LGBTQ+ youth and people in crisis with their mental health, but cited the dangers of the same platforms.
“But when there’s no option to opt out of the harms, the very lifeline they might depend on can become the very thing that kills them,” they added.
The couple has long campaigned for online safety, and launched The Parents’ Network in 2022 through their Archewell Foundation.
It is a community for families who have lost a child because of the “destruction caused by social media use”, for instance, if a young person has taken their own life after struggling online.
“We act as a support network for other parents and caregivers whose children and families have been gravely impacted by social media harms,” a description of the group states.
Harry and Meghan have previously cited their own children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, as an incentive for making the online world a safer place.
They notably do not post their children’s faces on social media, and have rarely shared photographs of their son and daughter online.
What is the social media ban?
The under-16s social media ban was brought into force in Australia on December 10.
It aims to protect young people from online harms and reduce mental health issues, and is the first ruling of its kind in the world.
The ban includes TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, Threads, and Kic, and could be expanded to include new platforms.
Lemon8 and Yope are already under notice and could be added to the ban after experiencing an increase in popularity as children seek out alternative platforms.
The Australian government has noted that the ban may not function perfectly at first, but cited its importance in keeping young people safe.
“This is the day where Australian families are taking back power from the big tech companies, and they’re asserting the right of kids to be kids and for parents to have better peace of mind,” Anthony Albanese told ABC News.
Under the ban, affected social media platforms will face penalties of up to $50 million if they don’t take “reasonable” steps to prevent children from holding accounts on their sites.
Read everything you need to know about the ban here.
