Meghan Markle surprised a group of children and teenagers last week as she joined them for an afternoon of games and crafts. The Duchess of…
Meghan Markle surprised a group of children and teenagers last week as she joined them for an afternoon of games and crafts.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, visited Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara on October 2 to help with a new digital-wellness programme called Social Media U.
Girls Inc. – an American non-profit organisation which encourages girls to be ‘Strong, Smart, and Bold’ – is partnering up with #HalfTheStory – a non-profit dedicated to improving the next generation’s relationship with technology – to launch the programme across the States.
Larissa May, the founder of #HalfTheStory, took part in the event alongside the Duchess and Girls Inc. CEO Stephanie J. Hull as they celebrated the collaboration.
‘We did an activity where we talked through a bunch of scenarios, and Meghan talked about being one of the most bullied people in the world,’ May told Vanity Fair.
‘We had girls wave these little emoji signs and talk about how each one of these scenarios would have impacted them emotionally.’
May added: ‘With Stephanie and Meghan, we talked about what it really means to grow up in this digital age.’
The Social Media U curriculum – which the Duchess helped try out during her visit earlier this month – was designed with input from the teenagers on #HalfTheStory’s advisory board.
It’s aim is reportedly to encourage teenagers to socialise without screens – but also help them use technology for creativity and positive contact.
The effort is being financially supported by Meghan and Prince Harry’s Archewell Foundation, the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, and Melissa French Gates’s Pivotal Ventures, reported the publication.
In March 2024, Meghan opened up about the ‘hateful’ cyber-bullying she received while pregnant with Archie and Lilibet during SXSW festival.
The Duchess of Sussex was in Texas to discuss ‘breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes’ at an event at the festival alongside Brooke Shields and Katie Couric.
Meghan talked about social media use and claimed most of the online hate she experienced happened while she was pregnant with her two young children.
‘I keep my distance from it right now for my wellbeing but the bulk of the bullying and abuse I was experiencing in social media and online was when I was pregnant with Archie and with Lili, and with a newborn, with each of them,’ she said.
‘You just think about that and to wrap your head about why people would be so hateful. It’s not catty it’s cruel. Why you would do that when you’re pregnant or as a mom it’s such a tender and sacred time.’
She added: ‘You could succumb to it, or nearly succumb to how painful that is. Or maybe because I was pregnant that mammalian instinct just kicks in to do everything you can to protect your child and as a result protect yourself too.’
Meghan’s outing to support the digital wellness partnership last week comes after the Duke and Duchess launched an initiative aimed at tackling child safety online, called The Parents’ Network.
As part of the campaign, a group of parents have come together, to help offer a ‘safe and supportive community [which] is available to all parents and caregivers navigating the complex digital world’.
This group includes those who ‘have first-hand knowledge of the pain and destruction caused by social media use’.
A description of the network on the Sussexes’ Archewell Foundation website says: ‘Each of us have been through something no parent should ever have to experience, and our mission is to prevent anyone else from suffering the way we have.
‘For anyone who has a child affected by social media harms, we are here to support you. Our safe and supportive community is available to all parents and caregivers navigating the complex digital world.’
As well as those who have lost children, The Parents’ Network aims to support those whose children are struggling with ‘present-day issues of cyberbullying, depression and anxiety, sexual exploitation, eating disorders, and a range of other traumas related to social media use’.
According to the network: ‘Some are seeking ways to channel pain into purpose. Some are simply trying to survive – while ensuring our kids do the same.
‘All of us are seeking safe, supportive environments where we can talk openly about experiences often kept under lock and key, and forge meaningful relationships with others who understand.’
In addition, a list of three guides has been posted on the site, each tackling a social media platform, including Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
The guides are described by the site as being ‘repurposed in partnership with The Social Media Victims Law Center’.
Compiled using information from the Center’s online social media guides, they include information about what each platform is used for, and how caregivers can ‘improve their child’s safety’ while they are using them.
Alongside the campaign launch, the couple gave their first formal broadcast interview together in three years, appearing on American broadcaster CBS News’ Sunday Morning programme.
During the sit down with anchor Jane Pauley, the couple said they want to ‘be a part of change for good’ when it comes to the ‘online space’.
‘Our kids are young – they’re three and five,’ said Meghan, who wore a £12,800 Cartier necklace and £1485 Ralph Lauren coords for the appearance.
‘They’re amazing. But all you want to do as parents is protect them. And so, as we can see what’s happening in the online space, we know that there’s a lot of work to be done there, and we’re just happy to be able to be a part of change for good.’
Harry added: ‘At this point, we’ve got to the stage where almost every parent needs to be a first responder.
‘And even the best first responders in the world wouldn’t be able to tell the signs of possible suicide. Like, that is the terrifying piece of this.’
Meghan also discussed having suicidal thoughts. The Duchess first said she had experienced suicidal thoughts during her time as a working royal while the couple were being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey three years ago.
During the interview with CBS News’ Sunday Morning programme, she said she hopes her candour will help others and will encourage people to check in on their friends.
‘There is a through line, when you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma,’ Meghan said. ‘Part of your healing journey, certainly part of mine is to be open about it.
‘I haven’t really scraped the surface on my experience. I would never want someone else to feel that way. I would never want someone else to be making those sorts of plans. I would never want someone else not to be believed.’
She added: ‘So if me voicing what I have overcome, will save someone, or encourage someone in their life to really genuinely check in on them, not assume the appearance is good, not assume everything is okay, then I’ll take that.’
Meghan’s outing last week marks a second without her husband in as many weeks after she made a striking solo visit to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles gala.
The trip was thought to be part of a new plan that will see them doing more events separately, a friend said recently.
The Sussexes will still do joint engagements – but will also be seen in public alone, more often, as they pursue their own passions.
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Prince Harry was away from home for a fortnight on a pseudo-royal tour to New York, London and South Africa – and Meghan was at a glitzy children’s hospital gala in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Insiders have said that this reflects a new shift in direction in the couple’s public lives.
‘The Duke and Duchess have now hit their stride as individuals – not just as a couple. The Duke appears focused on his patronage work, and the Duchess focused on her entrepreneurial track,’ a friend of the Sussexes said. The insider told People: ‘It’s clear that a twin-track approach is evolving’.
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