Meghan Markle delivered a powerful address at the Lost Screen Memorial in Geneva on Sunday, calling for the protection of children in digital spaces to be treated as a matter of public health.
The Duchess of Sussex appeared alongside World Health Organisation director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the event, which brought together global health officials, government ministers and families who have experienced the devastating consequences of online harm.
Addressing the gathering, she declared that young people are currently being moulded by platforms “designed to capture attention at any cost: relentless algorithms, exploitative engagement, and endless exposure to harmful content that they are not seeking out.”
The memorial opening preceded the 79th World Health Assembly.
The centrepiece of the event was a striking installation comprising 50 illuminated lightboxes, each bearing the mobile phone lockscreen image of a young person whose life was cut short by digital harm.
Meghan Markle delivered a powerful address at the Lost Screen Memorial in Geneva on Sunday, calling for the protection of children in digital spaces to be treated as a matter of public health.
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Speaking of those commemorated, the duchess offered a poignant tribute: “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.”
Among those present was Amy Neville, an online safety campaigner whose 14-year-old son Alexander features in the exhibition.
Meghan acknowledged that Ms Neville’s voice, along with those of countless other affected families, serves as a powerful reminder of what remains at stake.
The duchess issued a stark warning about emerging technologies, stating that artificial intelligence and similar innovations are “not just repeating past mistakes” but rather “accelerating and amplifying” them.
She emphasised that harmful content now spreads across the globe with unprecedented speed and stealth, affecting young people “at an alarming scale and across borders” before protective systems can respond.
The duchess issued a stark warning about emerging technologies, stating that artificial intelligence and similar innovations are “not just repeating past mistakes” but rather “accelerating and amplifying” them.
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Meghan argued that such outcomes need not be accepted as inevitable, insisting that “prevention begins with one simple principle: children must be safe by design, not safe by chance.”
She urged those assembled to “speak up” and “demand better from the platforms shaping our children’s lives.”
The duchess also challenged what she termed a “dangerous bargain” society has tolerated for too long, whereby “innovation excuses injury” and “speed matters more than safety.”
The Sussexes have long campaigned for stronger safeguards for young people navigating digital spaces.
The Sussexes have long campaigned for stronger safeguards for young people navigating digital spaces.
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In April last year, they unveiled a similar memorial in New York City honouring those who lost their lives to the harmful effects of social media, meeting with bereaved families during the event.
Prince Harry subsequently described the impact of social media on children as “one of the most pressing issues of our time” at a New York gala five months later.
At that same gathering, Meghan revealed that she and her husband frequently discuss how they will shield their own children, Archie, seven, and four-year-old Lili, as they mature.
Sunday’s memorial was jointly organised by the WHO and Archewell Philanthropies, the couple’s charitable foundation, in partnership with The Parents’ Network, a community of bereaved families campaigning for safer online environments.