Meghan Markle is using her high-profile trip to Colombia to shed light on the dangers of social media and the importance of learning and practicing online safety.
During their first day in Bogotá, Colombia, Prince Harry and Markle attended and took part in a summit focused on a creating a "responsible digital future."
During the summit, the pair took the stage to be part of a panel discussion, titled The Path Towards a Responsible Digital Future, alongside Colombia's Vice President Francia Márquez and co-founder and CEO of Rappler and Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Ressa.
“With the Archewell Foundation, me and my wife believe that information integrity is a fundamental right,” Prince Harry said during the discussion, as reported by People.
“For as long as people are allowed to spread lies, abuse, then social cohesion as we know it has completely broken down," Harry continued, according to one BBC reported who attended the event. "Now what happens online within a matter of minutes transfers to the streets.”
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speak onstage at EAN University during a visit around Colombia on August 15, 2024 in Bogota, Colombia.
For her part, Markle urged those in attendance and around the world to "model how we want our kids to be raised and for the world in which we raise them."
"It doesn't matter where you live," she continued. "It doesn't matter who you are. Either you personally or someone you know is a victim to what's happening online. And that's something we can actively work on every day to remedy."
Prior to the royal couple's high-profile trip, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the launch of their new network aimed at helping parents whose children have been traumatized as a result of social media use. During a rare joint interview with CBS Sunday Morning's Jane Pauley, the pair discussed the new program, titled The Parents Network via their Archewell Foundation.
"When you've been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey—certainly part of mine—is being able to be really open about it," Meghan said during the interview. "I really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way and I would never want someone else to be making those sort of plans and I would never want someone else to not be believed."
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaks onstage at EAN University on August 15, 2024 in Bogota, Colombia.
The Duchess of Sussex went on to say that if her decision to share her story and what she has "overcome" will "save someone or encourage someone in their life to really, genuinely check in on them and not assume that the appearance is good so everything is OK, then that's worth it."
"I'll take a hit for that," she added.
During the same interview, the couple stressed the importance of parents being vigilant when it comes to online safety, but also how difficult it can be for caregivers to recognize the signs of distress.
"At this point we’ve got to the stage where almost every parent needs to be a first responder," Prince Harry said. "And even the best first responders in the world wouldn’t be able to tell the signs of possible suicide. That is the terrifying piece of this."
