Meghan Markle has called for a 'dislike' button to be introduced on Instagram.
The Duchess of Sussex was speaking at the NYTDealbook Online Summit on Tuesday when she suggested the upgrade.
The 40-year-old, who is currently living in her $14 million mansion in California having stepped back from the royal family, spoke about women's opportunities at work for the 'Minding the Gap' event.
She made the case alongside Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments and the chairwoman of Starbucks Corporation.
At one point the mum-of-two turned her attention to social media, suggesting that the current set up encouraged negative debate.
The Duchess highlighted the fact that Instagram has a like button and ability to comment, but not a 'dislike' option.
As a consequence, people either express their approval by hitting 'like', or explain their negative feelings in the comments.
A 'dislike' button would lead to less negative, angry comments, Meghan said.
"One of the things that seems like such an easy solve from my lens, if you look at Instagram for example, there's a like button and then there's comments," she said.
"So if you disagree with something you have to comment on it in a really vitriolic way. If there was a dislike button wouldn't that hugely shift what you were putting out there, because you could just like it or just dislike it.
"Now you have to like it or say something negative. It is just adding to this really unfortunate cycle that I think is having an unfortunate effect on women across the world."
The online session tackled the question: "How can women reach economic and professional parity?"
The Duchess argued that pushing for paid parity between the sexes was a positive thing both for workers and for companies, while also renewing her calls for paid sick and parental leave in the US.
Earlier this month, the Duchess penned an impassioned plea to senior congress members on the topic.
In the letter, she argued that a national paid-leave mandate would not only help individual families, but the country as a whole.
"In taking care of your child, you take care of your community, and you take care of your country—because when paid leave is a right, we’re creating a foundation that helps address mental health outcomes, health care costs, and economic strength at the starting line," Meghan wrote.
"Paid leave should be a national right, rather than a patchwork option limited to those whose employers have policies in place, or those who live in one of the few states where a leave program exists. … This is about putting families above politics."
When she was asked about advocating for the change during the summit this evening, Meghan said she was not involving herself in politics as she considered the issue a cross-party, humanitarian one.
The Duchess went on to relate the issue of women's rights in the workplace to her own experience as a child.
She spoke about how her experience attempting to save and make money when she was younger has taught her lessons that remain with her today, despite her now sizeable wealth.
When she admitted being an avid couponer in her younger years, Meghan was asked whether she keeps up the practice today.
"Do they have coupons anymore, I don't know. I will never buy something online without finding an online promo code first," the Duchess said, arguing that values learned as a child can stay with a person for life.
"If that was engrained with me when I was young, imagine what the world would be like if you ingrained other elements of financial understanding, especially in young women, so they could move in the world in a different way.
Meghan went on to tell how she used to make scrunchies out of scraps of fabric to sell as a child.
"It was that feeling, I had done something myself," she said of the sensation she'd get after selling some of her crafts.
"You get not just purpose, but a sense of self satisfaction."
Meghan also expressed her hopes for the future of work post-Covid, arguing for a "hybrid model" of working from home and in the flesh for those who can.
