Prince Harry says smartphones are ‘stealing young people’s childhood’ in chilling warning

Prince Harry has shared his concerns about the impact of smartphones on young people today as he sat down for a conversation with The Anxious Generation author and social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, to mark World Mental Health Day on October 10.

In a video shared with Fortune Well, the Duke of Sussex, 40, began their conversation by stating that “in many cases, the smartphone is stealing young people’s childhood,” as he highlighted the growing dependency children have on the portable mobile devices.

Although a bold remark on the surface, Haidt agreed with the Duke’s assessment and went on to highlight how many people born after 1995 in English speaking countries had begun to hit puberty with high rates of anxiety, depression and self harm, along with thoughts of suicide as a direct consequence of their relationships with smartphones, reports PEOPLE.

Doubling down on the need for accountability for the problem, Harry went on to question a common misconception that “social media companies point the finger at parents” for the growing mental health crisis, citing companies that say: “ ‘Well, you know, this is down to you. This is down to your parenting.’ ”

Yet Haidt was quick to rebuff this notion, as he explained: “If there were some parents who were getting this wrong and most parents were getting it right, then I’d be very receptive to that argument,” he said. “But once kids get a phone and social media, the rest of family life turns into a fight over screen time. And this is happening everywhere.”

“The tech companies put us in a bind, and then they’re trying to blame us for what they did,” Haidt added.

Yet while smartphones did come with many pitfalls, Prince Harry was keen to point out that he had learnt many parents felt more comfortable knowing their child had a phone, as it would allow them to contact their parents in the wake of an emergency at school.