Melbourne, Australia. Prince Harry praised Australia’s leadership on curbing harmful social media use for teenagers during an event in Melbourne, where Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said she had faced a decade of online abuse.
Visit and Melbourne discussion
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a four-day trip to Australia, with engagements covering sport, mental health and veterans’ affairs. Harry made his remarks in a discussion with young people organised by Australian mental health organisation Batyr in Melbourne on Thursday.
Australia’s social media ban
Australia in December became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, in legislation being copied around the world. Harry said he was not there to judge the “pros and cons” of a ban, adding: “All I will say is from a responsibility and leadership standpoint – epic.”
Meghan’s comments on online bullying
Meghan told the same discussion she had been the target of relentless online bullying. “For now, 10 years, every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked. And I was the most trolled person in the entire world,” she said.
Background and reception in Australia
The couple stepped down as working members of the British royal family and moved to the U.S. in 2020, citing a desire to be financially independent and to escape what they characterised as media intrusion into their private lives. They last visited Australia in 2018 while still working royals, announcing Meghan’s first pregnancy hours after arriving in Sydney.
Harry and Meghan have received a mixed reception in Australia, where Britain’s King Charles is the head of state, though a sizeable minority supports becoming a republic.
Funding and policing costs
The couple’s travel is being privately funded, though local media reported some policing costs associated with the visit would be paid by Australian taxpayers, sparking a protest petition signed by more than 45,000 people.
What do you think about Australia’s approach to limiting social media use for children under 16?
