Prince Harry's difficult conversations with Meghan about Archie and Lilibet's futures
Prince Harry has opened up about the difficult decisions he and Meghan face
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are just six and four but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle already have their work cut out when it comes to navigating parenting a young prince and princess.
Especially in the world of social media and in the public eye. In a new interview, Prince Harry has opened up about the topic.
Prince Harry discusses parenting Archie and Lilibet
In an appearance on the Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know podcast this week (October 29) Harry revealed that sometimes he and Meghan have to approach topics with caution and hesitation due to their serious nature.
As a couple, they firmly prioritise protecting their children’s identities. Therefore, they have chosen to hide their faces when posting on social media.
Delving into the topic, Hasan Minhaj asked Prince Harry whether he and Meghan have hit a “crossroads” when it comes to allowing their children to have a phone.
“I don’t know if you guys have hit this crossroads yet, but what are you going to do when your kids ask for a cell phone?” he asked. “Are you going to give them a phone? Have you talked to Meghan about this, cause I’ve talked to my wife about this?”
Prince Harry’s ‘caution’ over decision about Archie and Lilibet’s future
Harry explained: “We talk about it a lot. I think that because of what we know now, we will be way more cautious and hesitant of allowing our kids to have access to social media.”
He added: “But the problem is, so many parents don’t have that awareness.”
Harry went on to say: “Because in no logical, fair, ethical, moral world, should a parent have to consider this app, that sits on the phone, which by the way, having a phone for your kid is a really important thing. But the moment that you give them the gateway to everything else, kids will be kids.”
Hasan then stated: “What are you guys going to do when you hit that 8, 9, 10 place? I don’t know what to do because I feel like I’m being opted in.”
Harry agreed: “You’re right, a lot of parents feel as if they don’t have a choice, and a lot of kids don’t have a choice.
“Because the reality is, if you’re talking about just having a smartphone and an old-school phone are two very different things.
“If you want to be able to contact your kid, maybe we should just be giving them the old-school phone… but I think that our goal has to be to make sure that when our children get to that age, that the situation now isn’t the situation then.
“There’s no reason why it should be.”
When Prince Harry will ‘allow’ Archie and Lilibet social media access
Harry also highlighted that children being disallowed access to social media can also lead to ridicule from classmates – “because they’re the only person not on the platform”.
Harry quipped when deciding on what age his children will be allowed access to social media: “For me, it’s 35.”
The prince re-emphasised: “I think once your brain is properly formed. Once you are starting to learn who you are.
“Twenty-one is a sensible age, but the companies won’t ever allow that. They will throw tens of millions of dollars to lobby against that.”
Read more: Meghan Markle’s hope for daughter Princess Lilibet’s future: ‘I’ll be the proudest mom’
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