Prince Harry has revealed the reason behind his and Meghan Markle’s decision to keep their children’s faces off social media.

The Duke of Sussex, who stepped back from royal duties with Meghan in 2020, discussed the topic during his appearance on a new episode of the Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know podcast, which was released on October 29.

During the conversation, Harry criticized AI and social media companies for what he described as “farming” the minds of young people, claiming that “there is no free will” on these platforms.

On AI and Posting Children’s Photos

When Minhaj asked for his opinion on the use of AI to manipulate online images — and whether parents should share photos of their children — Harry explained his cautious approach.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been intentional about maintaining their children’s privacy. Photos of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are rarely shared publicly, and when they are, their faces are usually hidden or obscured by emojis.

“Parents can do whatever they want,” Harry said. “But from what I’ve seen, what I’ve heard, what I’ve experienced, is you should be really, really worried, concerned, and cautious about putting photographs of your kids online.”

He added, “Especially now, with this surge of unregulated AI. You don’t know where it’s going to go, how it’s going to be used. But that’s also really sad. There are parents watching this asking, ‘Well, how am I supposed to share photos with people across the world?’”

Concerns About Social Media’s Impact

Harry also shared his growing concerns about the influence of social media, particularly on young men and boys.

“Social media is taking young men and young boys into very dark places, which should concern all of us,” he said. The Duke noted that he and Meghan have discussed the topic extensively, admitting they’ve both “had our fair share of beatings on social media.”

The Couple’s Focus on Technology Reform

Reflecting on their move from the UK to the US, Harry said: “We could focus on the things that are really obviously aligned to our passions and causes, and the tech industry was not one of those things.

But what we were in search of was the root cause of so much suffering and pain around the world. If we can identify that, how can we shine a light on it and the people trying to change the industry — and it was the tech industry and social media.”

Preparing for the Future

Harry also revealed that he and Meghan have already discussed what they’ll do when Archie or Lilibet eventually ask for their own phones.

“We talk about it a lot,” he explained. “And I think, because of what we know, now we will be way more cautious and hesitant of allowing our kids to have access to social media. But the problem is that so many parents don’t have that awareness.”

He continued: “Our goal has to be to make sure that when our children get to that age, the situation now is not the situation then. The more parents that know what is happening, the more parents can protect their kids. People look to governments to protect them, yet we have this lawlessness within this particular industry.”