The Duke of Sussex has criticised social media for the detrimental effects it has on young people’s mental health.
On Wednesday, the 34-year-old royal addressed a group of more than 12,000 people, which included schoolchildren and teachers, at SSE Arena in Wembley as part of WE Day UK, a global initiative that encourages the younger generations be leaders for positive social change.
Prince Harry also suggested that mainstream media and advertising are “distorting the truth” and “trying to manipulate the power of positive thinking”.
“But you don’t let them sway you. Because you don’t need to hide behind your device to share your voice,” he added, before urging the audience to spend more time engaging with one another “face-to-face” as opposed to on screens.
“You confidently voice your opinions because you can embrace them proudly,” he added.
He went on to recite a quote from Martin Luther King Jr, which he described as a “favourite” of his wife, the Duchess of Sussex: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Prince Harry also took the opportunity to share his thoughts on climate change, describing it as ”a humanitarian issue not a political one”, adding that we’re far behind in terms of acting on the way it’s becoming increasingly damaging to our planet.
“We now have the facts, the science, the technology and the ability to save not just our planet, but ourselves,” he said.
The prince concluded his talk by listing various ways that young people could live healthier and more environmentally-friendly lives by calling on them to “be kind to each other”, ”eliminate plastics”, “conserve water” and “protect wildlife”.
“Dare to be the greatest generation of all time,” he added. “I am with you, we are with you!”
