Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have made a surprise appearance at an Oprah book launch event where they spoke about the perils of smartphones and social media on young children.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex dialled in remotely to speak with authors Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price, who have just released The Amazing Generation, a book designed to encourage children to play and have fun in the real world.
Prince Harry spoke of their work on the impact of the digital world on children, and praised the pair for their research, which he said had been ‘incredibly valuable’.
The hour-long event on Wednesday saw American presenter Gayle King lead conversation with the two authors, before welcoming celebrity guest appearances including actress Amy Schumer and influencer Tinx.
King gushed over the couple who she described twice as ‘my favourite Duke and Duchess’.
After being introduced, Prince Harry told Mr Haidt and Ms Price: ‘Over the years we’ve worked with how the digital spaces [are] deeply affecting our collective and mental, emotional and physical health.
‘And obviously a huge congratulations to you and the outcome of your research, which has created a parent-led movement, which is astonishing and much needed.’
At this point, Meghan jumped in and added: ‘And that we’re proud to be a part of.’
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan (pictured in May 2024) have made a surprise appearance at an Oprah Daily book launch event where they spoke about the perils of smartphones and social media on young children
‘Yeah, hugely,’ Prince Harry replied.
He continued: ‘And the insights have been incredibly valuable over the years for our work with parents who have lost their children to online harms.
‘And working towards solutions to keep all children safe.’
The royal couple have spoken often about the negative impacts of social media and online spaces, and launched The Parents’ Network in 2024, bringing together families affected by social media-related suicide or online harm to their children.
The network was the result of a two-year pilot programme and gives support to parents in the UK, US and Canada.
Later during the online event, Harry asked: ‘Can you speak to how the phone-based childhood, as you call it, affects kids’ emotional development and what families can do to support healthier patterns?’
Author of The Anxious Generation Mr Haidt responded: ‘Kids need to play. All mammals play and once they get the device it’s going to push out everything else.
‘They’re going to have less sleep, they’re going to stop reading books, they’re going to stop spending so much time with other kids, they’re not going to get as much sunshine, not as much exercise.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex dialled in remotely to speak with authors Jonathan Haidt (top left) and Catherine Price (top right), who have just released The Amazing Generation
Harry and Meghan have closely guarded their children’s exposure on social media, generally hiding their faces when they do (Pictured: Harry and Meghan with children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet)
‘So as they get more and more into a screen-based life, all the things that children need to do get pushed down and pushed out by these screen activities that are engineered for addiction.’
He added that play is vital for children to learn emotional skills and regulation, but added: ‘None of those things happen anymore.
‘Once they [children] get on, especially [to] short videos, that is so addictive it is going to push out everything else.’
Ms Price added: ‘We need to help our kids develop human skills and human relationships and both of us have done a lot of research on human flourishing, what it takes to have a meaningful and full life.
‘And relationships, human relationships, are at the top of that.’
The serious topic was interrupted by a moment of levity when host King spotted Harry and Meghan’s dog running around in the background, at the couple’s Montecito home.
‘She’s been sitting next to us just chewing a stick,’ Harry said.
The group also spoke about online addiction, with Meghan telling viewers social media companies are some of the only firms to describe their customers as ‘users’ – with the term more typically associated with drug dealers and addiction.
Jonathan Haidt, an American author and academic, is concerned that smartphones have changed the nature of childhood and led to a reduction in healthy play in the real world
She added: ‘We know in the work that we’ve done that tolls that digital pressures can take on young people and also the ripple effect that can have on families, parents, entire communities.’
She added that more screen time for young people often results in higher levels of anxiety and depression, and suggested families should consider New Year’s resolutions of ‘less laughter emojis and more real laughter, and also less screen time’.
The couple also addressed how the back to school period in January can be challenging for parents.
Prince Harry said: ‘We all know as parents, as working parents, we want to create good habits that last for our children, but we also [have] got to be realistic about what we can do consistently.’
During the discussion author Mr Haidt raised concerns about a rise in predators using social media to gain access to vulnerable children.
Highlighting research on Snapchat, he said: ‘Social media is a way in which adult men from around the world can talk to children.
‘It’s completely insane that we’ve allowed this to happen.’
Ms Price added: ‘The creepy people aren’t in playgrounds anymore, they’re on [social media].’
Mr Haidt said: ‘They’re in your house and you don’t even know it.’
Harry and Meghan have spoken out frequently about online risks to children and young people in recent years.
They praised the Australian government’s move to ban social media for under 16s, which came into effect last year, hailing the country’s leadership ‘for seeing and acting on how these technology companies are negatively impacting young people with little to no recourse or accountability’.
They added: ‘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.
‘Here’s the truth: the ban is an effective measure to stop imminent harm.’
And they have been fiercely protective of their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, online – very rarely publishing pictures of them and usually obscuring their faces.
