British Prince Harry has called on technology companies to take greater responsibility for protecting children online, arguing that the burden of ensuring their safety should not fall solely on parents.
Speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, he said technology firms must demonstrate that children can safely use their products.
He made the remarks at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial, which honours children whose parents have linked their deaths to harm associated with social media.
The memorial features replicas of oversized smartphones, each displaying a photograph of a child on its home screen, the Associated Press reported.
The installation was first unveiled in New York last year with support from the couple’s Archewell charity, according to the BBC. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attended the Brussels event but withdrew from delivering a speech, the AP reported.
“Parents should not have to prove that a product is dangerous. Companies should have to demonstrate that it is safe for children. The details can be phased in, but that principle cannot wait,” Harry said.
The Kids Act and infinite scrolling
Prince Harry urged Members of the European Parliament to strengthen the proposed EU Kids Act, introduced by the European Commission in September, which includes a proposed ban on social media use by children under 13.
He called for the legislation to address addictive platform designs and recognise the different needs of children at various ages, arguing that a seven-year-old should not be treated the same way as a 15-year-old. He added that age restrictions alone “cannot be the answer”.
Harry also criticised infinite scrolling, saying young people had told him that the introduction of endless short-form videos marked a turning point in their negative experiences online.
He argued that banning the feature should be straightforward before identifying technology companies opposing restrictions on such platform designs.
Harry cited Meta, Google and TikTok as examples of technology companies challenging efforts to restrict addictive features on social media platforms.
The three companies sued the state of California last week over Assembly Bill 1709, which seeks to prohibit features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay and algorithmic recommendations for users under 16 from January, according to Colin Lecher of CalMatters.
The companies argue that the legislation violates their free speech rights. In its complaint, Meta said the law would effectively make California “the editor, curator, and controller of online speech”.
“Overly broad laws like this actually break the systems we’ve built to help kids find high-quality, age-appropriate videos,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda stated.
