Harry and Meghan Launch Initiative to Combat Online Harm Dangers

On a sunny day near Santa Barbara last week, a group of friends gathered to meet with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. This gathering was part of an exclusive and heart-wrenching club—comprising parents who have lost children, either directly or indirectly, due to exposure to social media.

Harry and Meghan are offering these parents a new avenue for support called The Parents’ Network. This initiative, part of their charitable Archewell Foundation, officially launches today.

Meghan Markle has personal experience with online bullying, and her husband Harry is no stranger to grief.

Pauley asked, “The central topic is the loss that these families have suffered, stories that need to be shared. Parents who haven’t suffered a loss think it couldn’t happen to them. But it could.”

“It certainly could,” Harry responded. “One of the scariest things we’ve learned over the course of the last 16, 17 years that social media’s been around is the fact that it could happen to anyone. We always talk about in the olden days if your kids were under your roof, you knew what they were up to; at least they were safe, right? Now, they could be in the next room on a tablet or a phone and can go down these rabbit holes. Within 24 hours, they might be contemplating taking their life.”

Meghan added, “Our kids are young; they’re three and five. They’re amazing. All you want to do as parents is protect them. As we see what’s happening in the online space, we know there’s a lot of work to be done, and we’re happy to be part of change for good.”

“Well, you hope that when your children ask for help, someone, you know, is there to give it,” said Pauley.

“If you know how to help, right?” Harry interjected. “We’ve got to the stage where almost every parent needs to be a first responder. And even the best first responders wouldn’t be able to tell the signs of possible suicide. That’s the terrifying piece.”

For parents like Donna and Chris Dawley, their 17-year-old son, C.J., died from suicide, which they believe was fueled by social media-induced depression.

“We had no idea what happened to our son,” Donna said. “He had a beautiful car. He had a job he liked.”

“Sisters that loved him, parents that adored him,” Chris added.

“And he was happy,” said Donna. “He was a happy kid.”

Addiction to his smartphone, a device designed to be so addictive, prevented C.J. from putting it down, not even in the minutes before he died. “He couldn’t even kill himself without posting about it first,” Donna said.

Parents often fail to recognize signs that someone is spiraling into despair. Meghan herself admitted to Oprah Winfrey in 2021, “I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to admit it to Harry, especially because I know how much loss he suffered. But I knew that if I didn’t say it, that I would do it … and I didn’t want to be alive anymore.”

Pauley approached the topic gently: “You had an experience that connects you to these families. The connection you have with people is they know you had suffered, too. Contemplating killing yourself is what suicidal ideation is. I’m dancing around this because I can see you’re uncomfortable with my even going there…”

“I understand why you are though – I wasn’t expecting it, but I understand why,” Meghan replied. “When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, part of our healing journey is being really open about it. I haven’t really scraped the surface of my experience, but I believe voicing what I have overcome might save someone. I’ll take a hit for that.”

This gathering was for the launch; the Parents’ Network will primarily meet online. Group facilitator Leora Wolf-Prusan pointed out that the key topic is lasting impact: “We’re going to stop expecting you to be ‘done’ with your grief in a year. We’ll say your kid’s name over and over again, ’cause they existed and they mattered. It wasn’t your fault. This happened to you. Now we, as a community, get to create something with you.”

Among the group’s charter members are Taj and Selene Swanson-Jensen, whose son Tanner died from an online drug overdose; Brandy and Toney Roberts, whose daughter Englyn committed suicide after online bullying; and Perla Mendoza, whose son Eli died from a fentanyl overdose.

Pauley asked, “Why would you do this?”

Taj replied, “Simple answer: So others don’t have to live what we’ve lived, and will continue to live.”

Perla added, “This is just a labor of love in honor of my son and all other children who lost their lives to fentanyl. This is for the mother who cannot get out of bed, for the dad that won’t leave his house. I stand here for them, too. And I hope that one day, I’ll see my son, and he’ll tell me, ‘Good job, Mama.'”

The idea is that there is comfort and power in numbers, with the goal of turning pain into purpose.

Meghan said, “You have to start somewhere. The simplest thing is to look at it through the lens of, ‘What if it was my daughter or son?’ If you look at it as a parent, there’s no way to see it other than to try to find a solution.”

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.

For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email [email protected].

Source: CBS News