Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sat down to candidly discuss social media use on World Mental Health Day.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took to the stage in New York and addressed the audience at Project Healthy Minds' second-annual World Mental Health Day Festival at Hudson Yards. The event and their appearance was associated with providing a platform for parents to navigate mental health when it comes to the digital world.
The event was set up to build awareness on how to make online usage a safer space for parents and children and will see the couple explore how the world can create a positive change in the online environment. And Meghan admitted it was "impossible to not be in tears" following meetings with the families who were discussing their own situation, including tragic losses for family members.
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Meghan Markle spoke of the emotional meetings she had with parents who were also speaking at the event (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)Meghan, who was dressed in an elegant cream off-the-should top and wide legged trouser combination, spoke well as she told the audience: "Thank you for being here with us. A year ago we met some of the families, not all of them. At that time it was impossible to not be in tears as I'm sure some of you have been today hearing those stories. You can hear those stories again and again and it's still going to have the same emotional impact because it's just that devastating."
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She continued: "As parents, our kids are really young in two-and-a-half and four-and-a-half, but social media is not going away and look, I think by design, there is an entry point that's supposed to be positive and create a community and something has devolved and there's no way to hear that and not try to help these families have their stories be heard."
Her speech was widely praised by fans online who commented on her "compassion" and "eloquence" as she championed mental health.
According to PEOPLE Meghan and Harry have been very hands on and have been working with the parents talking at the event behind the scenes. Some of those involved have experienced tragic loss connected to their child’s social media use.
Meghan and Harry attended the Marcy Lab School (Archewell Foundation)A source told the publication: "The families have been engaged with The Archewell Foundation for the past year, bolstering community and driving towards solutions. Together, they are united in their mission to share personal experiences, data, and research to ensure the same does not happen to other families."
Earlier, Meghan and Harry had attended the Marcy Lab School, which is one of America's only alternatives to a traditional four-year college, offering a one-year, full-time fellowship in software engineering. Students pay no fees to attend as it is funded by philanthropic support.
During their time with the students, Harry issued a stark warning, telling them: “Everyone’s got their own story, reason for being here, your life is still going to be filled with complications and challenges. And if one of you starts to go quiet, doesn’t show up, you need to find out why."
His words were met by a round of applause by the students.
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