Next week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be honored at Project Healthy Minds’ gala. They are receiving the Humanitarians of the Year award, specifically for their work creating The Parents Network, which focuses on how parents can help create healthier online spaces for their kids. The Parents Network also works with parents and guardians who have lost children to dangerous online spaces. Well, King Charles decided to copykeen the Sussexes and express his concern too!
King Charles has voiced deep concern about the impact of social media on children, echoing recent calls for stronger online safeguards from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The monarch spoke privately with Reverend Tommy MacNeil, who runs the Shed Project mental health charity on the Isle of Lewis, during a 40-minute meeting at Balmoral Castle on Sunday. Rev MacNeil, who preached at the morning service attended by the King and Queen, said Charles was “very concerned about the negative impact social media was having on young people in so many ways” and “really understood the problems and the difficulties involved in combating them.”
“He was very engaged and 100 per cent appreciative of the work we are doing,” Rev MacNeil told the Telegraph. “Young people today are growing up in a different world to their parents. The stuff they are accessing on their phones is frightening.”
He added: “King Charles was clearly very concerned about the whole issue and negative influences on young people from social media. It is almost impossible to police social media, so we need to find ways to combat that.”
Queen Camilla did not attend the post-service discussion at Balmoral.
The King’s comments come after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex highlighted similar dangers in April when they unveiled the Lost Screen Memorial in New York City. The installation, made of 50 smartphone-shaped light boxes, honours children whose families believe online content contributed to their deaths.
Granted, this is a big enough issue where all public figures should be speaking about it regularly. There should be more recognition of the dangers of social media and more public condemnation of dangerous and toxic online spaces. It’s not an issue which solely “belongs” to the Sussexes. That being said, it’s pretty rich coming from Charles. The left-behinds have spent years staying silent as dangerous online royalist communities threaten, harass and smear the Sussexes. To this day, there has never been a palace condemnation of those spaces and those people.
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OMG the sanctimonious hypocrisy of a man whose head of staff (or chief of comms) is a Daily Mail scribe talking about online decorum. I mean. These people are small, sneering, snivelling, it’s like another commentator observed yesterday, in the same vein, it’s like that little man that peeps out behind his window cut into the massive door that guards the city of Oz. And he’s a midget.
Charles never told the bots/derangers to stop the verbal slurs against Harry and Meghan on comments sections or social media.
It’s slightly off topic, but she’s said her name is Meghan Sussex, wishing to share the name of her husband and children, and the press can’t seem to use it. As far as online content and behavior go, glad you’re on board with this very long-time threat.
The hypocrisy is just boiling over with this copying from Chuckles about social media. He should start with all the bot buying to use against the Sussexes. Next he should stop all the hate articles he and his leftover family use to incite people to hate the Sussexes.
If Charles was so concerned about social media maybe he should have done something about all the racist comments that appeared on the RF social media about Meghan and Archie. Why wasn’t someone monitoring the comments section?
Practice what you preach. Not once did they condemn the online racist abuse against the sussexes.
Charles can start his activism for social media by cleaning up the slander present on the royal websites for his daughter-in-law and his son. This concern is a bit rich coming from a man whose employees have weaponized social media against members of his own family. Try standing up like a man with concern by publicly calling off the dogs on the Sussexes.
Funny how the Article went on to describe in detail the Work Harry and Meghan have done in the space, but failed to mention as a grandfather to 5 who are growing up in the world of social media and the effects it could have on them suggests he is merely holding on to his son’s coat tails
I don’t know which Charles is speaking here – the one who really understands the negative impact of social media because he’s been exploiting it against his son and daughter-in-law for years, or the Charles who doesn’t really understand how to tie his own shoe laces.
Charles needs to deal with the Royal Family’s social media accounts first before delving into this issue. They sat there while their fans spewed racism and misogyny towards Meghan and Archie on their accounts.
Well its further confirmation of where Peg gets his toxic insecurity from. And yes Charles, social media is a dangerous place that can be weaponized against people to the point of them wanting to end their lives or harm others. Not just young people either. So why don’t you actually do something and get Peg (and you too) to call off the dogs that are after the Sussexes both online and in print. Funny though how the media is pointing out that Charles is following Harry and Meghan’s lead instead of insisting its the other way around.
“ The left-behinds have spent years staying silent as dangerous online royalist communities threaten, harass and smear the Sussexes.” Actions speak louder than words and until they take action against their own dangerous online behavior they need to stay silent imo.
That’s just it though- Charles is “concerned” which is the usual weasel word to describe the royals’ interest. This is an extension of “listen and learn.” There is no action. There is no real awareness -such hypocrisy. Seeing how Charles is now credited with changing Trump’s mind on Ukraine, and is new “concern” for the dangers of social media harassment, perhaps he will feel less jealousy and support Invictus when it rolls around.
This is going to make Prince Peggy’s head explode. Set aside the hypocrisy and notice that the piece is crediting the Sussexs for earlier efforts, which inspired Chuck.
My money says PP is going to really lose his mind now.
Hypocritical to jump on the social media bandwagon when KP has clearly bought bots and part of their tabloid relationship utilizes a reliance on inflammatory tweets and FB/IG comments, etc. THEY ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.