Britain's Prince Harry on Thursday (April 16) praised Australia's leadership on curbing harmful social media use for teens, as his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, spoke of a decade of online abuse.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a four-day trip to Australia, with engagements covering sport, mental health and veterans' affairs.

“So many countries have now followed suit, but it should have never got to a ban,” Harry said in a discussion with young people organized by Australian mental health organization Batyr in Melbourne on Thursday.

Meghan told the same discussion she had been the target of relentless online bullying.

"For now, 10 years, every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked. And I was the most trolled person in the entire world," she said.

Australia in December became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet's YouTube and Meta's Instagram and Facebook, in legislation being copied around the world.

The couple stepped down as working members of the British royal family and moved to the U.S. in 2020, citing a desire to be financially independent and to escape what they characterized as media intrusion into their private lives.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

: BRITAIN'S PRINCE HARRY AND HIS WIFE, MEGHAN, ARRIVING AT MELBOURNE’S SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY / SOUNDBITES FROM HARRY AND MEGHAN WHILE SPEAKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (APRIL 16, 2026) (INTERNATIONAL POOL – Access all)

1. BRITAIN’S PRINCE HARRY AND HIS WIFE, MEGHAN, ARRIVING AT MELBOURNE’S SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

2. HARRY AND MEGHAN STANDING NEXT TO FACILITATORS BEFORE PARTICIPATING IN DISCUSSION WITH YOUNG PEOPLE ORGANIZED BY AUSTRALIAN MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATION BATYR

3. HARRY AND MEGHAN CLAPPING

4. MEGHAN LISTENING

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITAIN’S PRINCE HARRY, SAYING:

“From a resource standpoint, what is it that… what is it that you guys are looking for? Are you looking for a therapist? Are you looking for someone that you… a place you can go to be able to talk to someone in private and be able to share your experiences? Or is it a youth centre where you can just come together? No therapy, no therapist, just being that together, whether it's… whatever … a sports hall… just being able to have a roof and a location where you guys can all meet whenever you want, and that in itself can bring about conversations. Or is it something else?”

6. HARRY LISTENING

7. HARRY SPEAKING ABOUT AUSTRALIA BEING FIRST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO BAN SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN UNDER 16

8. MEGHAN SPEAKING

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITAIN’S PRINCE HARRY, SAYING:

“So many countries have now followed suit, but it should have never got to a ban. It should never, ever got to a ban. And now that the ban is in place, now what follows? Because the companies themselves have got to be accountable and there's no way that young people should be punished by being banned from something that should be safe to use no matter what.”

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITAIN’S DUCHESS OF SUSSEX, MEGHAN, SAYING:

“For now, 10 years, every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked and I was the most trolled person in the entire world – man or woman. But I'm still here. And so when I think of all of you and what you're experiencing, I think so much of that is having to realize that, you know, that industry, that billion-dollar industry that is completely anchored and predicated on cruelty to get clicks, that's not going to change. So you have to be stronger than that.”

11. HARRY AND MEGHAN TAKING PART IN DISCUSSION

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITAIN’S DUCHESS OF SUSSEX, MEGHAN, SAYING:

“My wish for you is that you continue, continue to be who and how you are. To astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness and to allow humour to lighten the burden of your tender heart. And that's my wish for all of you as well. And you can do it. You can do it together. I'm not going to say it’s easy. I will personally tell you it's not easy, but you can do it. And my wish for all of you is to just continue.”

13. HARRY AND MEGHAN POSING FOR GROUP PHOTOS