Meghan Markle has told Australian students she believes she is “the most trolled person in the world”.
The Duchess of Sussex said the trolling came as she was “bullied and attacked” relentlessly every day for 10 years on social media.
Prince Harry initially addressed the crowd of young mental health advocates, stating that social media had “led to so much loneliness for so many people”.
Meghan then spoke to the classroom, saying social media companies were “not incentivised to stop”.
Calmly and candidly, the duchess added: “And I can speak to that really personally, which is why I like to listen, because it rings true for me in a very real way.
“For now, 10 years, every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked.
“And I was the most trolled person in the entire world.
“Now, I’m still here.
PA
“And when I think of all of you and what you’re experiencing, I think so much of that is having to realise that you know that industry, that billion-dollar industry, that is completely anchored and predicated on cruelty to get clicks – that’s not going to change.
“So you have to be stronger than that.”
The duchess made the claim during a discussion with young members and associates of Australian mental health organisation Batyr at Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology on Thursday, the third day of the Sussexes’ private tour of Australia.
Batyr is a preventative youth mental health organisation, established in 2011, that provides and delivers peer-to-peer programmes and speeches in schools, universities, and workplaces to “spark conversations around mental health”.
The Duchess of Sussex said the trolling came as she was ‘bullied and attacked’ relentlessly every day for 10 years on social media
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They often engage with high-profile figures who draw upon their own experiences of mental health.
The organisation is hosting a two-day workshop in Melbourne, addressing challenges faced by young people who are “being left behind by a crisis-driven mental health system”.
The duke and duchess have long been advocates of raising awareness of the dangers of social media.
Australia banned under-16s from using major social media services, including Tiktok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads last year – a move branded “epic” by the prince.
“Australia took the lead,” he told the crowd. “Your government was the first country in the world to bring about a ban.”
Youngsters are now unable to set up new accounts, and existing profiles were deactivated.
The UK has considered a similar ban, with reports overnight suggesting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is to summon social media bosses to Downing Street.
The talks with senior figures from TikTok, X, Meta, and other US social media companies will focus on “making sure social media companies step up and take responsibility”.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.gbnews.com ’
