Prince Harry worries for his only son, Archie Harrison, amid a digital future that is feeding on a "crisis of hate." The Duke of Cambridge wrote an impassioned plea to leaders in the digital industry to consider making reforms in their social media platforms to build a better future for the next generation.
In the Fast Company essay, Prince Harry stated that online platforms are "unwell" and have contributed to a crisis that impacts truth and mental health. He said that while these platforms are free to use, the public is paying a high price because the digital landscape is increasingly becoming a dangerous place.
Prince Harry said that he and his wife, Meghan Markle, have been discussing with industry experts on how to turn this hate into compassion and misinformation into truth. The Duke of Sussex said that leaders in the industry must be willing to "drawing a line in the sand" and shun unacceptable online behaviors.
The royal stressed on the need for establishing new standards in online world, including how companies must spend for the ads on the internet to stop supporting platforms that fuel hate. He commended the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) for leading in this reform to evaluate hate speech, when policymakers and regulators aren't quick to make the move.
Prince Harry also said that he and Meghan have reached out to business leaders and corporations to help quell this crisis of hate. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex support the Stop Hate for Profit Facebook boycott campaign that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) launched in June.
Queen Elizabeth's grandson also strongly believes that the divisive world of social media could be reformed if advertisers are part of this movement. The royal cited a report that stated Facebook lost at least $7 billion in ad revenues because of the boycott campaign.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan filed a lawsuit in July against unnamed paparazzi photographers in Los Angeles who took photos of their son from their backyard. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed that this was a breach of privacy as the paparazzi used drones to take the pictures.
The lawsuit is one of a handful of legal complaints launched by the Sussex pair against different respondents from the tabloid press in the U.K. Prince Harry and Meghan said that this media invasion is one of the reasons they decided to step back from their royal roles in March 2020.
