Prince Harry and Meghan launch emotive campaign to protect children online

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their philanthropic organisation The Archewell Foundation, have launched an emotive campaign titled "No child lost to social media". 

The campaign, done in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK, seeks to engage with parents and caregivers whose children use social media globally. It also advocates for social media platforms to prioritise safety in their design.

This is especially since the rise of social media has been linked with increased rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide among adolescents, according to a statement seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

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“Over the past two years, alongside our co-founders Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, our team has engaged deeply with parents and young people about the repercussions of social media on their mental, physical, and emotional well-being," said James Holt, executive director of The Archewell Foundation. 

“We believe in the transformative power of community, and that is why we have created this network—to connect those who face these challenges and offer mutual support," added Holt. 

The campaign launches with a film featuring parents whose children have been affected by social media harms, directed by Diana Markosian at The Corner Shop.

Set in the places where the children used to spend their time, the spot lets the parents tell their heartbreaking stories about how they and their children have been negatively impacted by social media. Some of their children have survived the trauma, but sadly some have not. The film closes with the endline, “No child lost to social media”.

The campaign is running across broadcast and digital channels globally.

“In partnership with The Archewell Foundation, we have created the #NoChildLostToSocialMedia campaign to elevate the voices of parents impacted by social harms. Crucially, the campaign encourages people to come together to call for change. As an agency, we understand the huge benefits of social media, there is also a critical need to ensure we make the social space safer for younger people everywhere," said Jo Bacon, M&C Saatchi UK group CEO. 

“As parents we all worry about losing our kids to social media in terms of time. This goes a stage further and highlights the risks and the harmful content that they can be exposed to. Calling on social media companies to do more to make it safer by design. Because one child lost is one too many," added Guy Bradbury, creative partner, M&C Saatchi. 

Earlier in January this year, a report by IAS titled “The Rise of Responsible Media”, reported that nearly 83% of parents say social media platforms can be detrimental without proper controls in place.

Around 77% of parents say publishers should be concerned about the well-being of their audience, while 72% of parents also hold brands accountable saying that they have a moral imperative to advertise responsibly.

Despite the demands from the digital world, parents do feel that the onus on themselves to protect their children online — but only 39% are confident in their ability to do so.

When it comes to responsible advertising, most parents (68%) believe that ads should be placed near appropriate content, on safe and legitimate sites. Around 43% of respondents also wanted ads to only be on sites that are committed to protecting user privacy. Followed closely (42%) by those wanting advertising on sites free from misinformation or fake news.

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