Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s visit to Colombia shows them in a “positive light” as they further their work promoting the importance of online safety and children, but the challenge they face is turning talk into action, according to a British news show.
Harry and Meghan began their four-day visit to Colombia at the invitation of the country’s Vice President Francia Márquez on Thursday, taking in a range of cultural and philanthropic engagements across the cities of Bogotá, Cali and Cartagena.
The visit, Márquez, said is hoped to “further illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation.”
It comes ahead of the country’s hosting of the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in November and weeks after Harry and Meghan launched their new social project, raising awareness of the harmful impact online spaces and social media can have on young children, named The Archewell Foundation Parent’s Network.
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A number of the couple’s engagements in Colombia referenced this work, with them taking part in a “Summit on a Responsible Digital Future” in Bogotá on August 15, during which Meghan told attendees: “We should model how we want our kids to be raised and for the world in which we raise them. It doesn’t matter where you live. It doesn’t matter who you are. Either you personally or someone you know is a victim to what’s happening online. And that’s something we can actively work on every day to remedy.”
During an appearance on LBC News in Britain on August 16, chief royal correspondent Jack Royston noted that the tour overall portrays Harry and Meghan positively as they continue to build their lives outside of the monarchy, but that action on their intentions so far as online safety and children are concerned could really prove the key to their future success.
“I think tours like the one they’re doing in Colombia shows them in a positive light,” he said. “You know, it’s very kind of happy and upbeat. Meghan looks fantastic. Their outfits have been brilliant.”
“They’re pursuing a good cause that’s close to the heart of the lot of parents,” he noted. “You know, a big theme of this tour is the negative impact of digital technology on young people. I know plenty of parents who are worried about that even before their kids have got to the age of owning smartphones.
“There is opportunity here for them if they can craft a way of actually helping parents with this problem, but I think the key question for Harry and Meghan is how do you move from simply joining a conversation about how bad it all is—which, you know, everybody already agrees anyway—to actually giving parents something that they want to need?”
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The Parent’s Network was founded by Harry and Meghan with their Archewell organization and aims to support parents whose children have suffered from the harmful effects of social media.
The digital platform provides resources like “parents guides” to social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, with recommendations on how parents can best safeguard their children in these spaces.
Speaking about the project on its launch, Archewell Foundation executive director James Holt said:
“Over the past two years, alongside our co-founders Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, our team has engaged deeply with parents and young people about the repercussions of social media on their mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
“It became strikingly clear that there is a critical need for connection and community among those who understand the pain, fear, and isolation caused by social media’s impact on children. We believe in the transformative power of community, and that is why we have created this network—to connect those who face these challenges and offer mutual support.”
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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