Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are speaking out after Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under the age of 16.

The landmark Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill took effect in Australia on Wednesday, Dec. 10, banning Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat, X and more for users less than 16 years old, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reacted with a statement through their Archewell Foundation.

“On December 10, Australia will make history as the world’s first country to ban social media for children under 16. The legislation, which passed with overwhelming public support, is an urgent intervention to address unsafe and addictive platforms like TikTok, Twitter (X), Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat — fining the companies up to AUD$50 million if they fail to keep young users off their services,” the statement began.

“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,” it continued. “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, but it doesn’t fix the fundamental issue we all still face with social media platforms.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle speak onstage at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Gala in New York City on Oct. 9, 2025.Rob Kim/Getty

The statement argued that the law, while “an effective measure” to stop immediate harm, only works as a “band aid” over the long term, as it does not address “tech’s broken design and exploitive business incentives, requiring us to protect young people in the first place.”

Prince Harry and Meghan’s message pointed to how social media can be a true force for good, acting as a “lifeline” for LGBTQ+ youth and people in crisis with their mental health.

“But when there’s no option to opt out of the harms, the very lifeline they might depend on can become the very thing that kills them,” it said.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made building a better online world a focus of their philanthropic Archewell Foundation, and in 2022, they began The Parents’ Network as a community for families who lost a child to social media-driven suicide or whose children have struggled because of online harms.

(Left) Meghan Markle at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival on Oct. 10, 2025 in New York City; (Right) Prince Harry at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival on Oct. 10, 2025 in New York City.Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty (2)

Referring to this work, they continued, “We’ve heard from too many grieving parents… Children currently have no right to privacy and no expectation of safety, and they’ve been hooked.”

The message said that young people were justified in their concerns about how age restrictions will be regulated online now, arguing that companies are focused on money at a high price, as “children have become their collateral.”

“We hope this ban is only the start of a reckoning between society and the tech companies that built these platforms with growth as their first principle instead of safety,” the statement summarized.

“American innovation has been at the forefront of bringing change for good in the world – we hope for a course correction to get back to that place with these technologies involved in our every waking moment,” it continued.

Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, are based in California, making the mention of “American innovation” particularly interesting. The couple moved to the U.S. after stepping back from their royal roles in the U.K. in 2020, and they are raising their children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, in Meghan’s home state.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have cited their kids as an inspiration for making the online world a safer place and traveled to New York City in October for a set of events connected to World Mental Health Day.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival on Oct. 10, 2025.Rob Kim/Getty

Harry and Meghan accepted the Humanitarians of the Year Award at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Gala on Oct. 9 in recognition of their efforts to make the online world a safer place and advance mental well-being globally.

The following day, they spoke on stage at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival, introducing panels sponsored by their Archewell Foundation about mental health and young people.

A few weeks later, Prince Harry tackled the hot topic of what he and Meghan will do when Archie and Lilibet want phones while appearing on the Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know podcast from Lemonada Media.

(Left) Prince Harry on the “Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know podcast”; (Right) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet at Disneyland.Hasan Minhaj/YouTube; Meghan Markle /Instagram

“We talk about it a lot. I think that because of what we know now, we will be way more cautious and hesitant of allowing our kids to have access to social media, but the problem is, so many parents don’t have that awareness,” Prince Harry said on the show.

“Because in no logical, fair, ethical, moral world, should a parent have to consider this app, that sits on the phone — which by the way, having a phone for your kid is a really important thing — but the moment that you give them the gateway to everything else, kids will be kids,” he continued, alluding to social media.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.