Charles spoke to a minister about his concerns, it’s being reported (Image: Getty Images)
King Charles revealed a major worry during a 40-minute chat with a church minister. The British monarch, 76, expressed his concerns about the “negative influences” dominating social media while talking with Rev. Tommy MacNeil.
Rev. MacNeil runs the Shed Project, a mental health-focused charity on the Scottish island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Their conversation took place after a sermon, which was delivered to Charles and Camilla at Balmoral Castle on Sunday, September 28.
The minister spoke with Charles following the sermon, which was just days after Charles’ meeting with Prince Harry, reports the Mirror UK.
READ MORE: Prince William shares honest thoughts about King Charles’ cancer and Kate MiddletonREAD MORE: Harry and Meghan’s emotional tribute to ‘friend to the planet’ Dame Jane Goodall
Rev. MacNeil said: “We spoke for 40 minutes and the King was clearly well-briefed about the Shed and what we are doing.”
He added: “He was very concerned about the negative impact social media was having on young people in so many ways. He really understood the problems and the difficulties involved in combating them.”
Rev. MacNeil delivered a sermon to King Charles and Queen Camilla at Balmor Castle in Scotland (Image: Martin’s Memorial Church )
Rev. MacNeil observed that the King was “very engaged” and valued the organization’s efforts. The minister also emphasized how young people today are maturing in a “different world” and that the content they can view on their phones is “frightening.”
He told the Daily Telegraph: “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.”
Both of Charles’ sons, Princes William and Harry, have previously expressed their worries about the difficulties young people face in the age of social media.
A Scottish minister spoke with King Charles about mental health
William has previously discussed the potential negative effects of social media, including increased bullying and the creation of a “cultural and political echo chamber.”
In a 2018 speech, he cautioned: “We all have to acknowledge, though, that much of the early optimism and hope of social media is giving way to very real concern, and even fear about its impact on our lives.”
He highlighted that: “We have seen that the technology that can allow you to develop an online community around a shared hobby or interest can also be used to organize violence.”
William further noted: “The platform that can allow you to celebrate diversity can also be used to cocoon yourself in a cultural and political echo chamber.”
He said the King was very “engaged”
The Prince of Wales also emphasized that new ways to access global news also enable misinformation and conspiracy theories to “pollute” the public realm, noting that websites used to connect people can also generate “loneliness and inadequacy.”
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, unveiled The Lost Screen Memorial in New York in April and called for more action to protect children from the dangers of social media.
“We spoke for 40 minutes and the King was clearly well-briefed.”
Harry told BBC Breakfast: “We want to make sure that things are changed so that… no more kids are lost to social media. Life is better off social media. The easiest thing to say is to keep your kids away from social media.”
Nevertheless, he recognized a “sad reality,” explaining children who don’t have social media face bullying as they can’t be part of the “same conversation” as others.
The Lost Screen Memorial features 50 lit-up boxes, designed to look like cell phones. Each exhibit presents a photo of a youngster whose life was tragically cut short due to the “harms of social media.”
Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories.