Meghan Markle admits she made a personal choice to shun social media for her "self-preservation" and has not been on the online platform for a "very long time." The Duchess of Sussex used to own a personal Instagram account but she gave this up before marrying Prince Harry.
The former TV star also said that she is not the person behind the official Sussex Royal Instagram account. In a virtual chat with Fortune's Most Powerful Next Gen Summit, Meghan Markle said that a team in the U.K. office managed the social media profile she shared with her husband.
The Duchess of Sussex said that she's not aware of what's "out there" since shutting down from social media and it has helped her from becoming addicted to the platform. Meghan said that it concerns her when people are obsessed about their social media use, seemingly comparing the habit to drug use, according to Daily Mail.
It comes after Meghan said in a podcast show that she got information that she was the "most trolled person of 2019." She received vitriol from the internet while she wasn't actively in the royal spotlight and she described the feeling as "'almost unsurvivable."
Meghan's talk with Fortune is part of her shared advocacy with Prince Harry to build a healthier online space. The couple has plans to address the negative aspects of social media use once they launch Archewell, their new charitable organization.
Apart from the mental health impact of social media activity, Meghan and Prince Harry are also advocating against conspiracy theories and misinformation online. The Duchess of Sussex warned about retweeting and reposting unverified stories and said that those who use these platforms must be conscious of their activities as they become "an echo chamber" of who they are.
Meghan also shared that she's more courageous but more careful about expressing her thoughts in public once she became a mother. She's speaking out on issues out of concern for the future of her child, Archie Harrison. However, she's also cautious about what she says to avoid controversy because it could reflect back on her family.
The Fortune summit is the sixth conference Meghan Markle has virtually engaged with for the month of October alone. A source said that the Sussexes will still be more visible in the coming weeks as they set the groundwork for Archewell. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex delayed the launch of their foundation, which was supposed to be last April, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
