Prince William has already opened up this week about online safety and the challenges facing children in a digital world, and now he's revealed that it's a dilemma he and wife the Duchess of Cambridge face in their own family too. Speaking to Channel 5 News in a segment that aired on Friday, he said: "We still haven’t worked out what the right balance is for online time. It’s quite difficult, it’s still a very fluid dynamic. We’re going to have that discussion with our family, how on earth are we going to police… and have family time when the phones are all put down and you’re offline?"
Kate and William also visited the BBC to talk about online dangers
He added: "Because we’re all so connected now, we’ve got to say, 'right, for instance, we’re eating now'. This generation are going to be the first generation to grow up fully immersed in mobile phones, social media, lots of stuff. And yet our generation, the older generation, the parent generation, we’re completely left at, ‘how do we deal with this? Where do we go to? Where do you learn about how to look after your children’s digital world?'"
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William is clearly very passionate about the subject, and launched his Cyberbulling Taskforce in 2016 as part of the cause. During the visit to the BBC, William and Kate saw the work the broadcaster is doing as a key member of the campaign. The couple met young people who wrote and performed in a new campaign video for 'Stop, Speak, Support', a youth-led code of conduct to provide guidance on what to do when they witness bullying online.
In a speech to mark Anti-Bullying Week, he also said: "For too many families, phones and social media shattered the sanctity and protection of the home. As we grappled with this, we felt a distinct absence of guidance. Should we read our children's messages? Should we allow them to have phones and tablets in their rooms? Who do we report bullying to? We were making up the rules as we went along."
The Taskforce supports young people and their families affected by cyberbullying, with a focus on 11 to 16-year-olds. Companies including Apple, Google, Facebook and Snapchat are working alongside a panel of young people to create a safer online world.