How did Meghan and Harry react to Australia's social media ban for kids? Duke and Duchess weigh in after historic legislation

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released a statement lauding Australia's landmark decision to ban social media for children under 16 years old. Australia becomes the first country in the world to do it with its Online Safety Amendment that took effect on December 10. 

Social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Snapchat, Reddit, and more are now banned for users under 16 in the country.

And per Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's statement, they agree with the decision. They wrote in a statement through Archewell Foundation: 

"We celebrate Australia's leadership for seeing and acting on how these technology companies are negatively impacting young people with little to no recourse or accountability, and feeble efforts from the companies to steal the flow of harms."

They called Australia's latest move a "bold, decisive action" that can protect the children "at a critical moment in their development." The pair also said that banning social media for under-16s buys valuable time back into their childhoods. 

However, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also admitted that the ban doesn't fix the root issue when it comes to social media platforms.

They said that while it's "an effective measure" to curb immediate harm to children, they are also calling it a "band aid" that will not fix the "tech's broken design and exploitative business incentives."

But they hope that Australia's latest ban will be a "start of a reckoning" between tech companies and society. 

Meghan Markle recently made headlines after her father was rushed to the hospital

Meghan Markle recently sparked controversy after news that his father was hospitalized and in the ICU in the Philippines came out.

Thomas Markle was rushed to the hospital on December 2 after falling ill at home and underwent an emergency lower leg amputation the following day. 

The Duchess has reportedly emailed her father on December 5 as news about his operation spread, but she wanted their correspondence to be private.

People reported that she personally called several hospitals trying to locate her father. 

However, The Mail reported on December 6 that Mr. Markle expressed confusion about news reports saying that his daughter "reached out" to him after his health scare. He claimed that he did not receive any message from Meghan Markle. 

A hospital source also told The Mail that they were also confused about the news that Meghan Markle reached out to hospitals to find her father. As far as they were concerned, it didn't happen. 

However, Meghan Markle's spokesperson confirmed that her father received a letter from the Duchess.

They also noted that her previous attempts to contact him had been "exceedingly difficult," especially because she wanted to do it privately. 

Meghan Markle has been estranged from her father since 2018, and Mr. Markle recently told The Mail: "I don't want to die estranged."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are now based in California, where they are raising their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.