The Duchess of Sussex has made an emotional plea to global health leaders, urging them to do more to protect children online during a solo trip to Geneva. Speaking at the Lost Screen Memorial, Meghan described children's online safety as a 'public health issue' and called for stronger protections against digital harm.
The memorial, hosted by the World Health Organisation and Archewell Philanthropies, features 50 illuminated lightboxes displaying the mobile phone lockscreen images of children who died due to online violence or digital harm. Meghan, dressed in a black Giorgio Armani suit, referenced the display, saying each name belonged to a child 'who was loved beyond measure' and whose 'future once felt limitless'.
In her speech, Meghan criticised the 'dangerous bargain' that accepts modern connection at the cost of childhood innocence, and warned that new technologies like AI are 'accelerating and amplifying' past mistakes. She called for children to be 'safe by design, not safe by chance', and urged attendees to 'demand better from the platforms shaping our children's lives'.
The duchess was joined by WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and online safety campaigner Amy Neville, whose 14-year-old son Alexander is among those featured in the memorial. Meghan and Prince Harry have long advocated for stronger online protections for children, having unveiled a similar memorial in New York last year.
