The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have addressed the issue of online threats to the lives of kids in their first formal televised interview since their sit down with Oprah Winfrey three years ago. During a CBS News Sunday Morning talk show, Meghan and Prince Harry referred to their two children, Archie and Lilibet stressing how much they wanted to “protect” them.
Meghan Markle and Harry know only too well what it means to be cyberbullied or to mourn unspeakable loss. Prince Harry highlighted the dire consequences of these situations mentioning that “one of the scariest things” is if any child dies by his/her own hand due to certain destructive internet material. The couple recently launched The Parents Network, which seeks to support parents and guardians hit by this crisis.
Social media has brought all this upon us as adults because we are always watching our kids on there and somehow thinking they are safer on tablets than anywhere else. Jane Pauley, host observed that at least parents who have lost children should come out openly so that others can learn from it as some may think it could never happen to them.
Harry agreed with her saying, “One of the scariest things I think over the last 16/17 years or however long social media has been around but certainly in recent years is you know, literally anyone could die for whatever reason. So we used to say like back in times when your kids were under your roof you knew what they were up; at least they were safe right? And now you go next door room and see them on a tablet or a phone going down these rabbit holes. And within an hour’s time getting ready for bed, boom.”Then an hour later killing themselves.”
They just want nothing more than safety for their children, wherefore as far as improving matters online is concerned Meghan said that she’s more than willing.
“They’re wonderful kids,” she continued. And “They’re three and five. They’re just, I mean they’re amazing. But you know as a parent all you want to do is protect them and when it comes to this online space. There’s a lot more work to do and we’re really happy to be a part of making that change happen,” she said.
Pauley added that parents wish their kids would know the places where they could go for help; however, Harry noted that almost every parent has got to be a firefighter but even if they were the best ones in the world we wouldn’t recognize signs of possible suicide which is terrifying.
“If you know how to help right?” asked Harry. “Almost every parent now needs to be a first responder. Even the best first responders in the world couldn’t see those signals of things going badly wrong inside somebody who might end up killing themselves – like, that is scary stuff,” he added.
Their 17-year-old son took his own life because he was suffering from depression caused by excessive use of social media, according to Donna and Chris Dawley. Despite having an awesome car, liked his job, loving sisters and adoring parents, Donna and Chris lost their son through smartphone addiction. “He still had it in his hand, the phone; that’s how addicted he was”, reveals Donna. “He didn’t even kill himself without posting about it first”, added Donna.
It is not easy to recognize when one contemplates death due to excessive disappointment.
Meghan, who openly talked about her suicidal ideation on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2021, knows this too well. Opening up about one’s pain or trauma helps them heal according to Meghan as she expects that by narrating her story she can help a fellow sufferer.
The Parents’ Network was launched via an in-person meeting and essentially will be mainly operating online with a view of discussing effects of internet harm among children. The community leader of this group, Leora Wolf-Prusan, highlighted the need for a support system that understands bereavement as an ongoing process and not because it was the parents’ fault. These founding families comprise those who lost their kids through drugs facilitated by online bullies and suicide over the internet.
To Meghan, transforming her parent’s perspective into preventive solutions against other families going through the same tragedy is where change begins. By ensuring that they transform their trials into triumphs, members of the Parents’ Network want to provide comfort and consolation to each other while their aim is preventing future calamities.
