Meghan Markle has said that she is “one of the most bullied people in the world”, a charity founder has claimed.
The 43-year-old visited Girls Inc of Santa Barbara earlier this month, where she spoke with young teenagers in California.
She visited the non-profit organisation as they launched a new digital wellness programme for young people, and the royal discussed her own experiences with social media.
Larissa May, founder of #HalfTheStory, a charity also involved in the new programme, called Social Media U, said that the duchess told the teens that she has been the victim of heavy bullying.
“We did an activity where we talked through a bunch of scenarios, and Meghan talked about being one of the most bullied people in the world,” May told Vanity Fair.
“We had girls wave these little emoji signs and talk about how each one of these scenarios would have impacted them emotionally.”
The CEO of Girls Inc – a charity which encourages girls to be “strong, smart, and bold” – Stephanie J Hull also discussed her own experiences with social media.
May said: “With Stephanie and Meghan, we talked about what it really means to grow up in this digital age.”
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The royal discussed her own experiences with social media at the event
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The Social Media U programme is aimed at helping teenagers learn to socialise without screens, but also encourages them to use platforms in a creative way.
In March, Meghan opened up about experiencing “hateful” cyberbullying whilst she was pregnant with both Archie and Lilibet respectively.
At the SXSW festival in Texas, she pinpointed the times the bullying was at its worst.
She said: “I keep my distance from it right now for my wellbeing but the bulk of the bullying and abuse I was experiencing in social media and online was when I was pregnant with Archie and with Lili, and with a newborn, with each of them.
Meghan Markle has previously said she experience “hateful” cyber bullying whilst she was pregnant with both Archie and Lilibet
PA
“You just think about that and to wrap your head about why people would be so hateful. It’s not catty it’s cruel. Why you would do that when you’re pregnant or as a mom, it’s such a tender and sacred time.”
She added: “You could succumb to it, or nearly succumb to how painful that is.
“Or maybe because I was pregnant that mammalian instinct just kicks in to do everything you can to protect your child and as a result protect yourself too.”
Harry and Meghan have been campaigning for stricter controls of social media. Over the summer, they launched the Parents’ Network, a resource for parents whose children have been bullied online.
