Prince Harry Tells European Parliament Children Deserve to Be Safe Online

Prince Harry told lawmakers at the European Parliament that children "deserve to feel safe wherever they are," including "in a classroom" and "on a playground." He spoke for 20 minutes in Brussels, Belgium, where he and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrived to unveil a memorial about young people lost to online harm.

The European Parliament is the elected lawmaking body of the European Union, a bloc of 27 member countries. Its chamber in Brussels is where the members debate and vote on laws that apply across the bloc.

The memorial is called the Lost Screen Memorial. It was first launched last year in New York by the Archewell Foundation, the charity Harry and Meghan run together. The installation shows 50 smartphone lock screens, each carrying a picture of a child or young person who died due to online harms. Those are dangers that come through apps, websites and messaging, such as harmful content or contact with predators.

Harry opened his speech with a line that set the tone. "I'm not here as an expert or a politician," he said. "I'm here as a father." Town & Country reported that his address was followed by testimony from Sandra Spitaels, the mother of a young person featured in the memorial. She spoke about the online dangers her child faced.

Meghan was originally scheduled to speak alongside him. She pulled out at the last minute and watched from the audience. She also did not attend the panel discussion that followed, where Harry spoke about accountability for technology companies, the firms that build the platforms children use.

For American readers, the questions Harry raised will sound familiar. Lawmakers in Washington and in several US states have debated how online platforms should protect minors, and the arguments in Brussels turn on many of the same points: who is responsible when a child is harmed, and what rules should apply to the companies involved.

The Sussexes live in California, and their foundation has been based in the United States. This week's event was their first joint appearance at the European Parliament, and it moved the memorial from New York to the heart of the European Union's political process.