Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Visit Teens to Talk Social Media Pressures for Mental Health Awareness Month
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke to the youngsters about the pressures they face — especially those involving social media
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are marking Mental Health Awareness Month.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited with a youth group near their home in California to hear about the pressures young people face.
Meghan, 41, and Prince Harry, 38, spent an hour having a "candid conversation" with the teens aged 14 to 18 from AHA! Santa Barbara about how mental well-being is affected by societal pressures and social media in the digital age.
Making the announcement on their Archewell Foundation site, Prince Harry and Meghan said they'd learned "firsthand about this generation's experiences with social media and societal pressures, and how it affects their mental well-being. The couple engaged with these amazing youth in candid conversation, working to find solutions together."
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The couple, who have a history of working in the mental health sphere as well as talking about the challenges that they've faced, recognize that social media can be a force for good and positivity in connecting people, but also "raises issues of insecurity, peer-pressure, and potential for self-harm, among other risks," the Archewell Foundation says.
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The visit was part of what the couple's Archewell Foundation says are regular meetings with young people, parents and professionals as they work to "understand the challenges they may be facing while working together to drive towards long-term solutions on- and offline," the Foundation says.
Last year during his Invictus Games, the Duke of Sussex told PEOPLE that he remains mindful of what information he consumes.
"For much of my life, I have been in the fortunate position of being able to help others," Harry said. "As a veteran of conflict, but also simply as a human, I take care of what my mind ingests. Like a digital diet. Cutting out the toxic parts of the online world and the way stories are put in front of us, baiting us, is one way I prioritize my well-being."
The father of two added, "I also make sure to talk to people, directly, one to one, about what they're going through, and try to learn from their experiences and understanding of the world."
News of the outing comes just over a week since Prince Harry returned to California — just in time for son Prince Archie's 4th birthday — following the historic coronation of King Charles. His brief visit to the United Kingdom was centered around the crowning service at Westminster Abbey when the Duke of Sussex showed his support for his father along with other members of the royal family. Prince Harry paid his respect to his newly-crowned father with a bow as the King processed out of the Abbey.
Earlier, Harry smiled as he arrived at Westminster Abbey for the crowning ceremony with cousins Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice along with their husbands.
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