'The world is watching': Harry and Meghan weigh in on Aussie social media ban

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have weighed in on the topic sweeping Australia and now the world: the under-16 social media ban.

Through their charity, the Archewell Foundation, Harry, 41, and Meghan, 43, have long been supporting safe practices on the internet for young people, often speaking to grieving parents of those who have been victims of cyber bullying.

Now, they have released a statement in support of Australia's latest move.

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"We celebrate Australia's leadership for seeing and acting on how these technology companies are negatively impacting young people with little to no recourse or accountability, and feeble efforts from the companies to stem the flow of harms," the royals shared.

"This bold, decisive action to protect children at a critical moment in their development sends a strong signal that a child's mind is not a commodity to be exploited. It buys young people valuable time back in their childhoods."

However, they say there is still much left to do.

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"The ban is an effective measure to stop imminent harm, but ultimately only works as a band aid that does not address tech's broken design and exploitive business incentives, requiring us to protect young people in the first place."

They pointed to their own work in the space, sharing that they have seen first-hand how social media can be useful tool for young people to connect to educational resources and communities, even creating "lifelines" for at-risk youth, such as LGBTQ+ young people or those suffering mental health emergencies.

But they call for tech companies to be "safe by default and design, not as a reaction to avoidable, sometimes fatal, harm."

"We look forward to the next step to hold tech accountable for its design choices and hope leaders of new technologies learn the lessons of failing to prioritise the well-being of young people," the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said.

"The world is watching to see if they'll finally take responsibility and make the changes the world so desperately need."

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Yesterday, December 10, marked the day Australia made history as the world's first country to ban social media for those under 16 years of age.

TikTok, Twitter (X), Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat are among the many platforms involved in the ban, with companies facing up to $50 million in fines if they fail to keep young users off.

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