Duchess Meghan has warned young people's social media use can lead to eating disorders

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."