The Duke of Sussex is set to help ‘launch an online safety toolkit’ for children in a webinar next week.
Prince Harry, 37, who is currently living in his $14 million mansion in California having stepped back from royal duty last year, will speak at 5Rights Foundation’s Making Child Online Safety a Reality webinar next Monday.
According to an online description about the event it is ‘the launch of the Global Child Online Safety Toolkit’, with details reading: ‘Our special guest, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex will be in conversation with youth advocates from around the world to discuss what’s needed to make child online safety a reality. The event will also feature speakers from the United Nations, African Union, and European Union.’
It is unknown what fee the Duke will receive for the appearance – last year, experts predicted he and Meghan, 40, could earn more than £1million each time they do a speech after signing up with an elite agency.
The Duke of Sussex, 37, is set to help ‘launch an online safety toolkit’ for children in a webinar next week
Prince Harry will speak at 5Rights Foundation’s Making Child Online Safety a Reality webinar next Monday
The organisation described the toolkit as a ‘roadmap for policymakers and practitioners building a digital world that supports children and enables them to flourish, online and beyond.’
Sharing the news online, 5Rights tweeted: ‘We’re thrilled that Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex will be joining us at the launch of the Child Online Safety Toolkit on 16 May to discuss how we can make the online world safer & kinder, especially for children.’
5Rights Foundation is a British charity founded by Baroness Beeban Kidron, to help children and young people participate in the digital world ‘creatively, knowledgeably and fearlessly.’
It’s far from the first time the Duke has spoken out about his concerns over the digital world.
The royal, who shares two children with Meghan Markle, will speak with youth advocates from around the world to discuss what’s needed to make child online safety a reality
Last year, Prince Harry was one of 15 commissioners and three co-chairmen who have conducted a six-month study into the digital ‘avalanche of misinformation’ on behalf of the Aspen Institute based in Washington DC.
The report calls for ‘increasing social media transparency and disclosure’, a ‘new proposal regarding social media platform immunity’ and ‘ideas for need reversing the collapse of local journalism and the erosion of trusted media’.
Other ‘solutions’ that were given in the report include pushing for ‘community-led methods for improving civic dialogue and resisting imbalances of information power’; and ‘accountability for ‘superspreaders’ of online lies’.
The duke’s push to combat fake news may raise eyebrows in some quarters, given that he and his wife Meghan Markle were accused of making various questionable statements in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March this year.
Meanwhile he claimed in an online panel called ‘The Internet Lie Machine’ that he and his wife have been the target of trolls online, even though they do not have individual accounts on social media.
The London based foundation shared a tweet announcing the news online yesterday, saying they hoped to make the online world ‘safer and kinder’ for children
He said: ‘I’m not on social media, we’re not on social media, and until things change that will remain the same.’
He said social media sites should take responsibility and not spread ‘hate and lies’ after Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed a tranche of documents which alleged the tech giant was placing profit above user safety.
The Duke and Duchess joined New York-based Harry Walker Agency, which represents the Obamas and the Clintons, las year.
PR expert Mark Borkowski told The Sun the pair will ‘clean up’. They plan to be available for talks on social issues including racial justice, gender equality, the environment and mental health, according to the LA Times.
‘I’m surprised they haven’t done this sooner. It will be one of the great income generators for them. The speaker’s circuit is a natural safe space for them to plunder,’ he added.
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