Prince William is speaking out about the issues involved with growing up in the age of social media.
Prince William is speaking out about the issues involved with growing up in the age of social media.
On Thursday, the 35-year-old royal surprised students at Burlington Danes Academy in London, England, walking in with rapper Professor Green during a school assembly on cyberbullying and mental health. William was there to talk about Stop Speak Support -- a digital code of conduct that helps young people navigate life online -- which he launched last October.
During the assembly, William pointed out unrealistic beauty standards online, specifically, how it affects young women.
“I worry for you girls," he said candidly, according to The Telegraph. “The touched-up pictures are not real. Don’t try to recreate them or think that’s what you’ve got to aim for.
"There’s a lot of fakeness online so don’t worry about that," he added.
He also encouraged young male students to be better at expressing their feellings.
“It’s really important for boys. We’re not very good at talking about our emotions and how we feel," he said. “Girls have got a little bit better, and boys, we’ve really got to work hard on being able to talk to friends, family and trusted people about how we feel.”
William later addressed how communication can easily be misinterpreted online.
“Unless you punctuate it correctly -- I’m not the best at punctuation, and I’m not the grammar police either -- you don’t understand it. You can read it in 100 different ways.”
The assembly was hosted by YouTube influencer Dan Howell. Aside from the students at Burlington Danes Academy, the assembly was also attended by students from Kensington Aldridge Academy. KAA was forced to close due to the Grenfell Tower fire last June, which caused 71 deaths.
It's already been a busy year for the father of two. William recently praised his mother, the late Princess Diana, in a rare personal speech at the Charity Commission Annual Public Meeting. Watch below:
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