Meghan gave a powerful speech on Sunday about the dangers of online bullying at the unveiling of the Lost Screen Memorial art installation.
Organized by the World Health Organization and Archewell Philanthropies, the installation features 50 glowing lightboxes, each displaying an image of a child who has died as a result of cyberbullying or other digital victimization.
“Behind me stands the Lost Screen Memorial,” the Duchess of Sussex said at an art installation in Geneva, Switzerland, according to Hello! “It’s not statistics. It’s not avatars. It’s not data points. It’s kids.”
“Each name belongs to a child who was loved beyond measure. A child who once filled the kitchen with laughter. A child who once wore shoes by the front door. A child who once felt a limitless future,” she added.
Markle, wearing an all-black pantsuit, spoke out about how addictive and harmful social media can be to children.
“Children today are being shaped by a system designed to get them attention at all costs: unforgiving algorithms, exploitative engagement, and endless exposure to unsolicited and harmful content,” she said.
The mother-of-two appealed to parents to set an example for their children by limiting their social media use and writing letters to elected officials urging them to enact laws to protect young people.
“Let’s have our kids look back on this moment and be proud that we chose what was better for them and for all of us,” she said.
At the memorial service, Markle spoke with a young child and hugged attendees who were visibly moved by an art installation honoring the lives of children lost to online harm.
The exhibit will remain on display until the 79th World Health Assembly, which concludes on Friday.
The memorial was created by Ms Markle, 44, and her husband Prince Harry’s Archewell charity, Parents Network, and was first exhibited in New York City in April 2025.
The couple launched their philanthropic foundation in 2020, and five years later changed its brand name from Archewell Foundation to Archewell Philanthropies.
Prince Harry and the Suits alumna are parents to son Prince Archie, 7, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 4.
The retired royal couple have been vocal advocates for their children’s online safety since becoming parents.
Most recently, last month, Markle spoke to students at Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology.
The actress said she considers herself “the most trolled person in the whole world” after being bullied and attacked “every day for 10 years.”
She explained that social media companies have no incentive to “stop” harassment from users.
“That billion-dollar industry…is completely entrenched and predicated on cruel practices to get clicks,” Markle said in her speech. “That hasn’t changed. That’s why we have to become even stronger.”
At the unveiling of the Lost Screen memorial in the Big Apple last year, Prince Harry called on parents to “keep their children off social media.”
The Duke of Sussex, 41, added that it was “unacceptable” and “wrong” for children to die because “not enough is being done” about the harm caused by social media.
Markle added at the time: “Our children are being harmed in so many ways by what’s happening online. … We can all lead by example and bring as much goodness and joy into the world as we can.”
