Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issue statement on landmark Meta trial after touching down in the UK

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issue statement on landmark Meta trial after touching down in the UK Just hours after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex landed in Birmingham to start the next chapter of their lives in Britain, they issued a joint statement after it was announced Meta will pay billion in a child safety case Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have issued a statement just hours after they touched down in the UK to start the next chapter of their lives in Britain. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their children Archie, seven, and five-year-old Lilibet, arrived at Birmingham Airport at lunchtime on Wednesday, just one week after their move back to Harry’s home country was announced. Now, Harry and Meghan have issued a joint statement following news that the social media company Meta will pay billions in a child-endangerment settlement. The company agreed to pay up to $18 billion (£13.3 billion) to settle claims that its platforms pose a danger to children. The Duke and Duchess have long been outspoken on the issue of child safety online, and shared a lengthy statement to their website, in which they expressed their disappointment that Meta will avoid a 'accountability' with trial by agreeing on a settlement sum. The statement, which is their first public notice since landing in the UK, read: "The historic trial against Meta over claims that its products endanger children has resulted in a settlement in which they will pay up to $17.1billion (£12.5bn). The settlement requires Meta to pay financial penalties for violating federal child privacy and states’ consumer protection laws. "By choosing to settle, the company paid to avoid yet another trial outcome that would force it into accountability. Because of the data-extraction business model Meta has used on our children and all users for years, it has more than the means to pay this settlement. Reports estimate Meta will make the equivalent of the $17bn pay out back in profit in the next 30 days." Harry and Meghan went on to outline some of the changes Meta agreed to as part of the settlement, such as restricting usage for children between the hours of 12am and 6am "quickly sparks change from other tech leaders across the industry". Other changes include not allowing notifications during school hours, the removal of beauty filters deemed harmful to mental health, and the introduction of an optional chronological feed to replace algorithm-driven content recommendations. The Duke and Duchess continued in their statement: "This result clearly signals that Meta and social media companies understand they are up against an immovable force of parents, survivors, and advocates who will not back down until we see change in how our young people interact with online spaces. It is a positive step for everyone advocating for safer online spaces and at the same time – far from the end of the journey to a better online world." Harry and Meghan are fierce campaigners for tougher regulations when it comes to children using social media. In June, they weighed in on the UK government’s decision to ban certain social media for children under the age of 16, as they said the decision is “a welcome step forward” but added more needed to be done to keep children away from harmful material. The Sussex’s welcomed the incoming social media ban, but warned “while measures such as these help reduce harm, they do not fix the problem at its source”. In May, Meghan urged global health leaders to act to keep children safe online at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial in Geneva, Switzerland. Speaking at the memorial for people who have died after suffering digital harm, the duchess described children’s online safety as a “public health issue”. The couple also spoke about their own children during a campaign for a crackdown on social media regulations for children, addressing a crowd in New York for the World Mental Health Day Festival in October as Meghan said she and her husband often discussed how they would protect their own children from online dangers as they grow older. On Wednesday afternoon, Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet arrived in the UK on a private jet. They were not met by any taxpayer-funded close police protection or had a police convoy - something they previously had when working royals - and were supported by their own private security team. They are to settle themselves in the UK for an “extended period”, with the children enrolled in British schools ready to start in September.