Prince Harry speaks out against social media for creating “crisis of hate”
Prince Harry has spoken out against social media companies for creating a “crisis of hate” and has called for them to “take a stand for a more compassionate digital world”.
In a lengthy essay published by US business publication, Fast Company, the 35-year-old royal revealed that he and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, began campaigning for social media change “a little over four weeks ago”.
Their campaign coincided with the launch of the Stop Hate for Profit campaign which calls for corporations to stop advertising on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram in protest against hate speech.
"Companies that purchase online ads must also recognise that our digital world has an impact on the physical world—on our collective health, on our democracies, on the ways we think and interact with each other, on how we process and trust information," Harry wrote.
“Researchers I’ve spoken with are studying how social media affects people—particularly young people—and I believe the book of data that we will look back on one day will be incredibly troubling.
“Around the world, for many reasons, we are at a turning point - one that has the potential to be transformative”, the Prince reflected. “In all areas of life, a rebuilding of compassionate, trustworthy communities needs to be at the heart of where we go. And this approach must extend to the digital community, which billions of us participate in every day. But it shouldn’t be punitive. When we do the right thing, when we create safe spaces both online and off—everyone wins. Even the platforms themselves.”
Since relocating to the United States and stepping back from royal duties, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have continued championing various charities and causes. They are currently in the process of dissolving their former charity, the Sussex Royal Foundation, and will continue their work going forward through the new Archewell Foundation – a name inspired by their son Archie.
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