BREAKING: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ISSUE a stunning joint statement

The couple issued a new statement (Image: Getty)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a new message through their Archewell Foundation to discuss Australia’s decision to ban under-16s from social media. The couple, who have become vocal advocates for online safety and the dangers that social media pose to children, praised the decision but declared: “It shouldn’t have come to this.”

Their message read: “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 stem the flow of harms.”

The couple’s bold new statement comes after several social media sites face fines of up to $49.5m (£25m) if they fail to take reasonable steps to disable the accounts of under-age users. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the move as “the day when Australian families are taking back power from these big tech companies”.

The couple have become fierce advocates for the issue (Image: Getty)

The couple’s statement went on: “This bold, decisive action to protect children at a critical moment in their development sends a strong signal that a child’s mind is not a commodity to be exploited. It buys young people valuable time back in their childhoods, but it doesn’t fix the fundamental issue we all still face with social media platforms.

“Here’s the truth: the ban is an effective measure to stop imminent harm, but ultimately only works as a band aid that does not address tech’s broken design and exploitive business incentives, requiring us to protect young people in the first place.”

After addressing how social media can sometimes be a force for good, the message continued: “We hope this ban is only the start of a reckoning between society and the tech companies that built these platforms with growth as their first principle instead of safety.”

The Australian Prime Minister has spoken extensively about the ban (Image: Getty)

Harry and Meghan signed off with: “We look forward to the next step to hold tech accountable for its design choices and hope leaders of new technologies learn the lessons of failing to prioritise the wellbeing of young people. The world is watching to see if they’ll finally take responsibility and make the changes the world so desperately needs.”

The Duke and Duchess have become outspoken activists for the dangers social media poses and have spoken with many grieving parents who have lost their children after they sadly took their lives due to cyberbullying and digital pressures.

The couple attended the Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Gala in New York back in October and Harry gave a moving speech. He said: “As our network grew, we’ve seen the full scope of what we’re facing. We have witnessed the explosion of unregulated artificial intelligence, heard more and more stories from heartbroken families, and watched parents all over the world become increasingly concerned about their children’s digital lives.”