Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have launched a new mental health initiative for families dealing with social media as Markle reflects on her previous openness about her own suicidal thoughts.
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a new initiative to help families struggling with social media’s impact on their children.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down with Jane Pauley for a new interview on "CBS Sunday Morning," which aired Aug. 4, Markle’s birthday, to discuss their new program through their Archewell Foundation, The Parents Network.
The Parents Network aims to "provide crucial support to parents whose children have suffered from the harmful effects of social media, from facing near-fatal harm, managing ongoing mental health difficulties, or experiencing the tragic loss of a child," according to the program’s press release.
During the interview, Markle spoke about her decision to open up about her own thoughts of suicide when the couple did a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
"There is a through line, I think. 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," Markle told Pauley.
In the interview with Winfrey, Markle had said, "I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry, especially because I know how much loss he suffered. But I knew that if I didn’t say it that I would do it. And I just didn’t, I just didn’t want to be alive anymore."
Reflecting on her choice to be honest about her thoughts, Markle told Pauley, "I haven’t really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think 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."
Markle continued, "So if me voicing what I have 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’s OK, then that’s worth it. I’ll take a hit for that."
The Parents Network started with a small, two-year pilot program before officially becoming available to parents in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. It provides free resources and support networks to help parents whose "children have been harmed by social media," including those who have lost a child to suicide.
"… I think that’s one of the scariest things we’ve learned over the course of the last 15, 17 years that social media’s been around, and more so recently, is the fact that it can happen to absolutely anybody," Prince Harry told "CBS Sunday Morning."
He continued, "We always talk about in the olden days, if your kids were under your roof you knew what they were up to, at least they were safe, right? Now they can be in the next-door room on a tablet or on a phone and be going down these rabbit holes, and before you know it, in 24 hours they can be taking their life."
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"At this point, we’ve got to the stage where almost every parent needs to be a first responder, 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," the 39-year-old added.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in 2018 and share 5-year-old Prince Archie and 3-year-old Princess Lilibet, and they worry constantly about the impact of social media on their children.
"Our kids are young, they’re 3 and 5, they’re amazing. But all you want to do as parents is protect them. And so as we can see what’s happening in the online space, we know that there’s a lot of work to be done there, and we’re just happy to be able to be a part of a change for good," Markle said.
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James Holt, executive director of The Archewell Foundation, described The Parents Network and the Sussexes' involvement in a statement, saying, "Over the past two years, alongside our co-founders Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, our team has engaged deeply with parents and young people about the repercussions of social media on their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. It became strikingly clear that there is a critical need for connection and community among those who understand the pain, fear, and isolation caused by social media’s impact on children. We believe in the transformative power of community, and that is why we have created this network — to connect those who face these challenges and offer mutual support."
As the program slowly grows, Markle encourages everyone to consider their own families and children.
"I think the simplest thing that anyone watching this or anyone who’s able to make change [is] to look at it through the lens of what if it was my daughter? What if it was my son? My son or my daughter who comes home, who are joyful, who I love, and one day, right under my roof, our entire lives change because of something that was completely out of our control. If you look at it through the lens as a parent, there’s no way to see that any other way than to try to find a solution."
