King Charles has voiced deep concern about the impact of social media on children, echoing recent calls for stronger online safeguards from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The monarch spoke privately with Reverend Tommy MacNeil, who runs the Shed Project mental health charity on the Isle of Lewis, during a 40-minute meeting at Balmoral Castle on Sunday.
Rev MacNeil, who preached at the morning service attended by the King and Queen, said Charles was “very concerned about the negative impact social media was having on young people in so many ways” and “really understood the problems and the difficulties involved in combating them.”
“He was very engaged and 100 per cent appreciative of the work we are doing,” Rev MacNeil told the Telegraph.
King Charles echoes concerns shared by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
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“Young people today are growing up in a different world to their parents. The stuff they are accessing on their phones is frightening.”
He added: “King Charles was clearly very concerned about the whole issue and negative influences on young people from social media.
“It is almost impossible to police social media, so we need to find ways to combat that.”
Queen Camilla did not attend the post-service discussion at Balmoral.
King Charles expressed concerns about social media
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The King’s comments come after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex highlighted similar dangers in April when they unveiled the Lost Screen Memorial in New York City.
The installation, made of 50 smartphone-shaped light boxes, honours children whose families believe online content contributed to their deaths.
“We want to make sure that things are changed so that... no more kids are lost to social media,” Prince Harry said at the time.
He added: “Life is better off social media,” and expressed gratitude that his own children are still too young to be online.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issued a warning on cyberbullying during a CBS interview
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Prince William has also pressed for tighter protections
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Prince William has also pressed for tighter protections.
Through his Stop, Speak, Support campaign to counter cyberbullying, he helped create a youth-led code of conduct and worked with platforms such as Snapchat and Facebook on pilot schemes.
He has repeatedly criticised social media firms for failing to tackle misinformation and hate speech, urging them to put user safety first and improve abuse reporting systems.