The Duke and Duchess say current social media rules leave parents powerless and kids vulnerable.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are once again turning the spotlight on a cause close to their hearts—protecting children from the harmful effects of social media. Speaking from New York on BBC Breakfast this week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex delivered a passionate plea for reform, driven by deep concern over the future facing their own children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The couple, both vocal mental health advocates, criticised what they described as a “broken system” that prioritises corporate privacy policies over child welfare. Prince Harry, 40, was forthright about the risks digital platforms pose. “We want to make sure that things are changed so that… no more kids are lost to social media,” he said firmly.

Yet Harry also acknowledged the complexity parents face when trying to protect their children. “The easiest thing to say is to keep your kids away from social media,” he admitted. “The sad reality is the kids who aren’t on social media normally get bullied at school because they can’t be part of the same conversation as everybody else.”

This double-bind, where exclusion invites harm just as much as exposure, underscored Harry’s frustration. “You are telling a parent, you are telling a dad and a mum, that they can’t have the details of what their kid was up to on social media because of the privacy of their kid. It’s wrong,” he argued.

Beside him, Meghan echoed his concern, focusing on the broader implications for families across the globe. “I think in many ways what we see through these parents is the hope and the promise of something better,” the Duchess said. “Because they just want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

The Sussexes have been steadily building their advocacy around online safety, using both their public platform and charitable foundation, Archewell, to push for change. Their comments come amid growing scrutiny of tech giants and the algorithms that often expose young users to harmful content without sufficient parental oversight.

Their appearance on the morning show also included a discussion about the cultural weight placed on ‘privacy’—a concept often weaponised against them by critics, but which they now argue is being misused by the very platforms they hope to regulate. Rather than empowering families, Harry suggested, privacy laws too often end up shielding social media companies from scrutiny.

The couple’s intervention comes at a time when policymakers in the UK, US and elsewhere are considering more stringent regulations on social media firms. Children’s digital safety, particularly the mental health effects of prolonged exposure to platforms like Instagram and TikTok, has become an urgent public issue.

For Harry and Meghan, this mission is personal. While their children are still young—Prince Archie turns six next month and Princess Lilibet will be four in June—they’re already thinking years ahead.

“Being a parent in today’s world means being on alert constantly,” Meghan has previously said, referring to the couple’s choice to raise their children largely out of the public eye in Montecito, California. That desire for control, they now say, must extend into the digital realm.

As ever, their remarks drew mixed responses—supporters applauding their candour, critics questioning their involvement. But Harry and Meghan appear undeterred, insisting their aim is to amplify the voices of other families dealing with the same fears.

“Parents aren’t asking for the impossible,” Harry concluded. “They’re asking for transparency, accountability, and a system that puts children first.