Meghan, Duchess of Sussex warns of social media algorithm dangers
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has warned young people's social media use can lead them to eating disorders because of algorithms and harmful content.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has warned young people's social media use can lead them to eating disorders.
The 44-year-old royal unveiled the Lost Screen Memorial - which is dedicated to children who have lost their lives after online harms - in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday (17.05.26) and delivered a passionate speech, in which she declared youngsters are being "shaped" by algorithms and harmful content which they "are not seeking out".
And Meghan believes the rise of Artificial Intelligencce (AI) can only make the situation worse.
She said: “Children today are being shaped by systems designed to capture attention at any cost: relentless algorithms, exploitative engagement, and endless exposure to harmful content that they are not seeking out.”
The former Suits actress - who has children Prince Archie, seven, and four-year-old Princess Lilibet with husband Prince Harry - cited real-world examples as she told of how a "joyful and athletic young girl” could go online “looking for healthy recipes”, but instead be shown a barrage of “body dysmorphia content and pro-anorexia videos”.
Meghan told the audience a girl named Katie had been “hospitalised for months with a severe eating disorder”, with her family having to watch “their vibrant daughter suddenly sick from the social media she logged into”.
And the duchess gave another example, of a teenage boy named Mason, who turned to social media after a break-up, where she she claimed the platforms “preyed upon his pain” and “offered him ideas of how he should take his life”.
She added: “These stories are not isolated. They are consistent. And they are not the fault of the child, nor the parent."
Meghan insisted making the online world safer is “not simply a technology issue,” but a “public health issue.”
She said: “Behind me stands The Lost Screen Memorial.
“Each name belonged to a child who was loved beyond measure. A child whose laughter once filled a kitchen. Whose shoes once waited by a front door. Whose future once felt limitless.
“Now their faces ask the world questions we can no longer avoid: How many more millions of children will be harmed by products that, while innovative, are still designed without sufficient safeguards?”
The duchess stressed it shouldn't just be left for parents to manage the situation.
She said: “We did not tell parents to create their own seatbelts. We did not ask children to test unsafe medicine. We did not shrug at poisoned water or defective toys and call it the price of progress. We acted. And now the world must act again.
“Across lived experience, court cases, authoritative medical and media journals, and testimony from families, a clear and urgent picture is emerging
At the same time, advancing technologies, such as AI, are not just repeating past mistakes — they are accelerating and amplifying them.
“The risks are compounding."
Meghan ended her speech by urging people to act because “these outcomes are not inevitable.”
She said: “Speak up. Demand better from the platforms shaping our children's lives. Be an example in your own social media use of how to be intentional in every like, comment, post, and share. Hold your community to the same standard.
"Support laws and leaders committed to child safety by design, transparency and accountability online. Write to your elected representatives. Ask what they are doing to protect children in digital spaces.
“Because when enough voices refuse to accept harm as the cost of connection, change becomes inevitable
Meghan and Harry initially opened the memorial in New York in April 2025 as part of the No Child Lost to Social Media campaign, but it has now been moved to the Place des Nations in Geneva.
