NEW YORK — Prince Harry and Meghan urged parents to stand against social media companies that they said lure children with predatory algorithms designed to exploit their data amid the “explosion of unregulated artificial intelligence.”
“Like so many parents, we think constantly about how to embrace technology’s benefits while safeguarding against its dangers,” Meghan said Thursday night at Spring Studios in Manhattan as the couple was named Humanitarians of the Year by the nonprofit Project Healthy Minds. “And that hopeful intention of separation is rapidly becoming impossible.”
Underscoring that point, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex cited research from ParentsTogether. The advocacy group’s staff, posing as children, reported experiencing a harmful interaction every five minutes they spent with an artificial intelligence chatbot on the app Character.AI.
“This wasn’t content created by a third party. These were the companies’ own chatbots working to advance their own depraved internal policies,” Prince Harry said. “But here’s what gives us hope: these families aren’t facing this alone.”
Their comments came at the annual gala for Project Healthy Minds, a millennial- and Gen Z-driven tech nonprofit that runs a free online marketplace aiming to connect patients with the exact mental health care they seek. To multiply their movement of families fighting for online safety, the couple also announced Thursday that their foundation’s Parents Network would join forces with ParentsTogether.
ParentsTogether Executive Director Ailen Arreaza described their effort as “a David vs. Goliath fight.”
“We are up against these multi-billionaire companies that are actively trying to get our kids addicted,” Arreaza said Friday at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival. “And so, we really try to destigmatize that shame and guilt that parents might feel.”
The Duke and Duchess have made youth mental health a cornerstone of their philanthropic work since launching the Archewell Foundation in 2020 after stepping aside as working royals. Through its community of families who have experienced online harm and support for youth-led organizations shaping responsible technology, the nonprofit works to make digital spaces safer.
Their push has since expanded to not just stress social media’s harms but highlight platforms’ design features that they blame for amplifying damaging content.
At a World Mental Health Day Festival panel presented by the Archewell Foundation, young people described how they believe lacking regulations expose them to online spaces ready to capitalize on their emotional needs and difficulties with self-regulating.
One teenage advocate said she developed an eating disorder as TikTok’s algorithm pushed weight-loss recipe videos onto her infinitely scrolling “For You” page.
“When we talk about social media and how young people rely on it, we also need to talk about: how can we address these needs in-person so that they’re getting the same support that they need?” Hopelab research assistant Jayla Stokesberry said.
Prince Harry has previously stressed the need to hold powerful social media companies accountable. He warned last year that young people are experiencing an “epidemic” of anxiety, depression and social isolation driven by negative experiences online.
According to numerous studies, few guardrails exist to mitigate kids’ exposure to age-inappropriate content including pornography and violence on social media, where they also face cyberbullying and sexual harassment.
The issue could also be considered personal for the couple. Meghan has been open about her mental health struggles due to what she describes as the royal family’s intense pressures and tabloid attacks. Harry’s own personal life has been the subject of much tabloid reporting, including targeted phone hacking and surveillance.
“Culture makers” such as Prince Harry and Meghan are important voices in mental health conversations because they inspire their enormous audiences to seek care, according to Project Healthy Minds CEO Phil Schermer.
But Schermer emphasized that the “moment of inspiration is fleeting” and it’s important for celebrities to take the extra step of partnering with trusted organizations that can actually deliver care.
He pointed to NBC television personality Carson Daly, the gala’s host, as an example. Daly opened up about his own anxiety on the air after reading a 2018 essay by NBA champion Kevin Love about an in-game panic attack.
Daly, a Project Healthy Minds board member, said mental health is now the most common topic that comes up when fans recognize him in public.
“I was like, ’I want to put all my eggs in this basket’ because I see the power even when I tell my story, it unlocks so many other people telling their story,” Daly told the Associated Press. “And I think that process - that’s how the destigmatization works.”
The money raised Thursday night will help the nonprofit build new filters that break down care options by users’ insurance providers and preferences for in-person or telehealth services, according to Schermer. He compared the features to those on travel planning sites such as Expedia that allow flyers to choose their preferred times, prices and airlines.
Schermer said that having a recognizable host in Daly also helps “make it cool to talk about your emotions.”
“It’s not just the absence of a stigma,” Schermer said. “It’s also the presence of a sense of pride that by being vulnerable, being honest, being open, that that’s actually your greatest superpower.”
Thursday night’s honorees included Indianapolis Colts co-owner and chief brand officer Kalen Jackson. The NFL executive - who talks openly about dealing with anxiety - has continued the team’s staunch support for mental health after the death of her father and beloved former owner Jim Irsay.
Project Healthy Minds recognized Jackson with its inaugural Sports Visionary of the Year Award, presented by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Jackson leads her family’s Kicking The Stigma initiative, which raises awareness about mental health disorders and tries to expand access to care across Indiana and country.