Prince Harry jokes about ‘getting into trouble’ as a kid and talks about his love for Archie and Lilibet in speech about the dangers of social media during solo trip to New York

Prince Harry made his final pseudo-royal appearance in New York, where he joked about his wasted youth and professed his love for Archie and Lilibet in a plea for better protection for children from the “harm” caused by social media.

The 40-year-old Duke of Sussex spoke this morning at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 event, warning of the “crisis” young people face as a result of the online world.

Harry walked onto the stage alone and immediately launched into a speech about the dangers of social media and “the pervasive threat our online world poses to us, especially our children.”

He then joked about his own childhood antics, prompting laughter from the audience. Harry said: ‘Some people say children will be children and that may be true. Children can get into trouble. I know a thing or two about that. But our children are being targeted. The damaging effects of social media are deliberate.’

He added: “These platforms are designed to create addiction.”

In a moving speech, he said his phone’s lock screen had a photo of Archie and Lilibet on it, but then he shared photos of children who have taken or lost their own lives due to the “damaging effects of social media.”

He pulled his phone out of his inside pocket and said, “My lock screen is a picture of my kids. What’s yours?” Pictures of young people that were shown as images on the lock screen of mobile phones appeared on the large screen behind him.

The Duke said: ‘These children and thousands of others meant the world to their families. Their beautiful faces are before you, their smiles, their dreams, all lost, far too soon, and all because of social media.’

Harry was serious when he spoke out about the need to better protect children from the online world

But he laughed as he joked about his own scrapes. “Kids can get into trouble. I know a thing or two about that,” he said.

The Duke of Sussex looked solemnly at pictures of young people shown on mobile phone lock screens who had lost their lives because of social media

Harry warned the public: ‘The harmful effects of social media are deliberate’

Harry is in New York for a week for a series of commitments before leaving for London on Monday

Harry was thanked loudly by the audience for his words

Prince Harry on stage at the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative event in New York today

According to Harry, they were the inspiration for the Archewell Foundation, which founded the Parents Network, a support network for parents of children who have been victims of online abuse.

Harry said they will be campaigning for the Archewell Foundation Parents’ Network, his and Meghan’s charity, more to support families of children killed by online abuse – and prevent further tragedies.

He started by saying ‘Good morning’, to which someone in the audience responded by shouting the same thing, to which Harry smiled and said ‘thank you’.

The Duke said: ‘I stand here today to speak about the pervasive threat that our online world poses to us, and particularly to our children.

“If we allow the status quo to continue in an era where our lives are intertwined with technology, we cannot afford to view the online world solely as a space for profitability, competition and rapid growth.”

He said he and many other parents never grew up with a mobile phone and struggled to understand and help their children navigate the online world.

Appearing on Day 2 of the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual Meeting in NYC, this was his fifth appearance in three days

He warned that social media platforms are ‘designed to create addiction’

He pledged to use The Archewell Foundations to campaign to protect children and support families

The Duke of Sussex said in an impassioned speech: “These platforms are designed to be addictive.

‘Young people are held captive there by mindless, endless, numbing scrolling and are forced to consume content that no child should ever be exposed to.

“I, like many of you, did not grow up with a phone. Young people today have an incredible understanding of technology that older generations may have a hard time grasping.”

He continued: “Our laws and regulations differ from state to state, from country to country.

‘We may have different backgrounds, views, beliefs and even access to the internet, but there is one thing we can universally agree on: the safety of our children.

“So why do the leaders of these insanely powerful social media companies still refuse to change? Why do we hold them to the lowest ethical standards?”

In an apparent nod to his antics in his younger years, which drew laughter from the audience, Harry said: ‘Some people say children will be children and well, that may be true. Children can get into trouble. I know a thing or two about that.

“But our children are being targeted. The damaging effects of social media are intentional.”

On Monday, the 40-year-old Duke of Sussex appeared on stage in New York to talk about mental health and climate change with two young winners of an award given in memory of Princess Diana.

But before he took the stage, the king’s youngest son FaceTimed with his wife Meghan Markle, 43, and their children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, according to People magazine.

According to the publication, Harry is said to have shown the room to his family and given them a quick tour of the hotel before they attended the 14th Concordia Annual Summit in support of the Diana Award.

“He called Meghan backstage and I thought that was so sweet and it helped humanize him,” Diana Legacy Award winner Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang, 18, who joined Harry for the panel discussion on mental health, told the publication.

On Monday, the 40-year-old Duke of Sussex appeared on stage in New York to talk about mental health and climate change with two young winners of a legacy award given in memory of Princess Diana.

Prince Harry is away from his hometown of Montecito for eight days on a solo trip to the East Coast and the UK. But it’s clear he’s been thinking a lot about himself during his visits to his family (pictured).

“He made sure we had no nerves at all… He’s just so kind. He not only helped us talk on stage, but he also comforted us afterwards,” the award winner added.

Harry, who cracked his knuckles and looked nervous as he took his seat on stage, spoke at the event about the importance of mental wellbeing. Attendees also shared their climate anxiety.

He personally interviewed Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang of Indonesia and Christina Williams of Jamaica, who received the Legacy Award in memory of Princess Diana. He joked: ‘For some reason I was given the microphone to ask the questions.’

He told them, “I applaud you for having the confidence to stand on this stage. I know my mother would be incredibly proud of you. Your activism is true to how my mother lived her life.”

Harry, dressed in a navy suit and tie and wearing a Diana Award pin on his lapel, asked: “Do you feel that leaders and people in positions of power listen to you?” He added that he wanted the Diana Award to help their campaign to tackle climate change and to gain global influence.

And when asked what gives him hope for the future, he said, “I said it years ago and I’ll say it again. The younger generation is what gives me hope. The courage that you have gives me hope.

“Every one of us needs courage to turn the dial in this world, probably more than ever. We need to listen and act on what you say, because it is your future that is going to be stolen and that is unacceptable.”