Prince Harry was visibly moved as he met with British families in Los Angeles who believe social media contributed to their children’s deaths, delivering an emotional message that “none of you should be here.”
The Duke of Sussex, accompanied by his wife Meghan, struggled to hold back tears while addressing the bereaved parents following the commencement of a significant court case examining the mental health impact of Instagram and YouTube.
Footage of Harry’s remarks shows him expressing gratitude to the families for repeatedly sharing their painful experiences.
The duke spoke of his desire for “truth, justice and accountability” to emerge from the legal proceedings now underway against major technology companies.
Prince Harry was visibly moved as he met with British families in Los Angeles who believe social media contributed to their children’s deaths, delivering an emotional message that “none of you should be here.”
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Speaking to the gathered families, Harry drew parallels between their legal battle and the biblical struggle of David against Goliath, noting he had faced “some similar situations myself, vastly different” in reference to his own courtroom experiences involving security matters and media claims.
The duke offered words of comfort to parents preparing to face the technology giants in court, telling them: “But when you were sitting in court and if you have that feeling of just overwhelming emotion because you can’t believe that the people on the other side are saying what they’re saying, that by the very nature of them defending what they’re defending, the lies that they are stating, is devaluing life, is devaluing your children’s lives, if that brings stuff up for you, it is totally normal.”
He urged them not to feel ashamed or concerned about displaying emotion, even if instructed otherwise by the judge.
Among the British parents who travelled to Los Angeles for the case is Ellen Roome, a 49-year-old mother whose son Jools Sweeney passed away at their home in Cheltenham in 2022 when he was just 14 years old.
Footage of Harry’s remarks shows him expressing gratitude to the families for repeatedly sharing their painful experiences.
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Ms Roome suspects her son’s death resulted from an online challenge that went wrong and has been pursuing data from TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, hoping it might explain what happened to Jools.
She has since become an advocate for legislative change, campaigning for what she calls Jools Law.
The proposed amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill would mandate the automatic preservation of a child’s social media data in the event of their death, potentially helping other families seeking answers about their children’s online activity.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also issued a joint statement describing the proceedings as a “pivotal moment” for families worldwide seeking truth, justice and protection for children.
In their statement, the couple declared: “This week, social media companies are starting to face accountability across the world.”
The Duke of Sussex urged parents not to feel ashamed or concerned about displaying emotion.
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They highlighted that Meta and Google are now confronting the first jury trial to determine whether these technology firms intentionally created platforms designed to foster addiction among young users.
The couple noted that hundreds of families have filed comparable claims, contending that features such as infinite scroll and manipulative algorithms were developed with corporate profits taking precedence over the safety of children using these services.
The couple’s statement went further, arguing that while national bans on social media for children do not address fundamental design flaws in these platforms, such measures do force companies to reconsider business models that treat young people as sources of data to be exploited.
Harry and Meghan emphasised that safeguarding childhood should be viewed as a collective societal duty rather than solely a parental responsibility.
The couple established the Parents’ Network in August 2024 through their Archewell Foundation charity, specifically targeting online harms affecting children.