Prince Harry has revealed how he and his wife Meghan Markle are on a mission to transform social media as he criticised it for stoking a "crisis of hate".
In a 1,400-word opinion piece published today by US business magazine Fast Company, the Duke of Sussex, 35, described the digital landscape as "unwell" and said he and Meghan, 39, had started contacting brand bosses in their first steps into redesigning social media, reports the Daily Star.
Harry, who is father to one-year-old Archie Harrison, said the impact of social media on children "is especially concerning to me" and he had asked company executives to reconsider their roles "in funding and supporting online platforms that have contributed to, stoked, and created the conditions for a crisis of hate, a crisis of health, and a crisis of truth".
He also warned that while social media is "a seemingly free resource for connecting, sharing, and organising", it is "not actually free; the cost is high. Every time you click they learn more about you".
"In this ever-changing digital world, we are the product," he wrote in the article.
The royal couple have launched Stop Hate For Profit, a civil rights and racial justice campaign.
Harry, who used to have his own secret social media accounts using the name Spike, said: "From conversations with experts in this space, we believe we have to remodel the architecture of our online community in a way defined more by compassion than hate; by truth instead of misinformation; by equity and inclusiveness instead of injustice and fearmongering; by free, rather than weaponised, speech.
"We have an opportunity to do better and remake the digital world, to look at the past and use it to inform the future. But this is just the beginning. And our hope is that it’s the beginning of a movement where we, as people, place community and connection, tolerance and empathy, and joy and kindness above all.
"The internet has enabled us to be joined together. We are now plugged into a vast nervous system that, yes, reflects our good, but too often also magnifies and fuels our bad. We can — and must — encourage these platforms to redesign themselves in a more responsible and compassionate way. The world will feel it, and we will all benefit from it."
He did not name any specific companies.
Meanwhile, Meghan is set to speak at next week in a virtual summit - The 19th Represents - on gender and politics.
Earlier this week she celebrated her 39th birthday and was sent public messages from the Queen, as well as Kate Middleton and Prince William.
