Duke and Duchess of Sussex honored at NYC gala for protecting children’s mental health in the digital age
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were named “Humanitarians of the Year” at a star-studded gala on October 9, 2025, kicking off World Mental Health Day celebrations and recognizing their groundbreaking work in safeguarding children’s mental well-being in the digital age.
The royal couple received the prestigious award at Project Healthy Minds third annual gala on Thursday evening at Spring Studios in New York City, one day before the global observance of World Mental Health Day on October 10. They continued their advocacy on Friday by participating in Project Healthy Minds’ fourth annual World Mental Health Day Festival alongside leading mental health experts and celebrities.
Parents’ Urgent Call for Digital Safety
Opening their acceptance speech at Thursday’s gala, Meghan reflected on their own parental concerns: “Our children, Archie and Lilibet, are just 6 and 4 years old. Can you believe it? Luckily, they’re still too young for social media, but we know that day is coming. Like so many parents, we think constantly about how to embrace technology’s benefits while safeguarding against its dangers“.
Prince Harry, who serves as Chief Impact Officer at mental health coaching platform BetterUp, emphasized the urgency of protecting children online: “Tonight we’re all here together to focus on what remains one of the most pressing issues of our time… This is a pivotal moment in our collective mission to protect children and support families in the digital age, and we cannot do it without you“.
The couple issued a powerful call to action, urging parents to stand united against social media companies that “prey upon children with algorithms designed to exploit personal data”.
The Parents’ Network: Support for Bereaved Families
Through their Archewell Foundation, Harry and Meghan created The Parents’ Network, a global support community for families and caregivers who have experienced the devastating loss of a child due to online harm or bullying. The network now spans the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, providing crucial resources and peer support to grieving parents.
In a statement released last month, the couple said: “Working with families and young people to prioritize safety online has been some of the most meaningful work of our lives. As parents ourselves, we have been moved to action by the power of their stories and are honored to support them“.
Project Healthy Minds honored the Duke and Duchess “for their exceptional global efforts in building a safer, more equitable digital world for families and youth, and their meaningful contributions to advancing mental well-being worldwide“.
World Mental Health Day 2025: A Global Movement
World Mental Health Day 2025, observed globally on October 10, carries the theme “Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies”. The World Health Organization emphasizes ensuring mental health support during crises and humanitarian emergencies, addressing the one-in-five people who experience mental health conditions during conflicts, disasters, and displacement.
On Friday, October 10, the royal couple joined mental health advocates at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival, featuring psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, journalist Katie Couric, spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra, Today Show host Carson Daly, and fitness influencer Kendall Toole.
Celebrity Mental Health Advocacy Gains Momentum
The festival represents a growing movement of public figures using their platforms to destigmatize mental health conversations. Prince Harry has been particularly vocal about mental health since revealing his own struggles following the death of his mother, Princess Diana, stating: “The experience that I have is that once you start talking about it [a mental illness], you suddenly realize that actually, you’re part of quite a big club“.
Other American celebrities marking World Mental Health Day 2025 include Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, who continues advocating for mental health after withdrawing from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and singer-actress Selena Gomez, who has been open about her lupus diagnosis and mental health challenges.
In India, Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone celebrated 10 years of her Live Love Laugh Foundation on October 10, 2025, with a visit to Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh. Reflecting on a decade of mental health advocacy, Deepika said: “Ten years ago, it was about helping people realise that what they’re feeling has a name and that it’s okay to seek help. When people come up to me and say, ‘You’ve saved a life,’ or ‘You’ve helped my daughter,’ nothing compares to that feeling“.
She emphasized that “”mental health care in India should be as common as gully cricket,” celebrating the growing acceptance of therapy that blends Western science with Indian practices“.
The Digital Mental Health Crisis
Harry and Meghan’s work addresses a critical global concern. Research presented at Friday’s festival by Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, shows that phone-based childhood replaced play-based childhood around 2012, causing teen mental health to plummet dramatically. Haidt described this shift as “the greatest destruction of human capital in history“.
The couple’s partnership with Project Healthy Minds began two years ago at the 2023 World Mental Health Day Festival. Since then, they have expanded their digital safety initiatives through multiple sessions focusing on young people’s digital wellbeing, artificial intelligence’s impact on families, and mental health support in humanitarian crises.
As World Mental Health Day 2025 draws global attention to mental wellness, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s humanitarian work underscores the urgent need to protect the next generation’s mental health in an increasingly connected—and potentially harmful—digital landscape.
Parents looking to protect their children’s mental health can start by understanding the neuroscience of digital dopamine and implementing digital detox strategies at home.
