Prince William made a surprise appearance at a school assembly in West London yesterday, and spoke about a topic close to his heart. Appearing alongside Professor Green in a Q&A hosted by YouTuber Dan Howell, the duo discussed issues surrounding mental health and cyber bullying.
The pair warned the audience about the ‘fakeness’ of images you see both on the Internet and social media and urged them not to try and aim to replicate these seemingly perfect pictures.
‘I worry for you girls,’ the Duke said.
‘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 said.
William spoke to the year 10 students about the pressures placed on teenagers, and the increased challenges in our modern digital world.
‘You must be aware of that, it’s a lot of pressure. There’s so many things going on. You’re going to be bamboozled.’
His biggest piece of advice was to spend time offline. ‘Don’t spend all day online. Seriously, don’t.’
‘For your mental health, get outside, come away from the screen. By all means be on a screen but don’t be on it all day because it will only bring you into another world. It’s important that you balance the time.’
Alongside his brother Harry, Prince William has been a big supporter of mental health issues. The brothers founded the charity Heads Together in 2016 to change the conversation around mental health, and both of the royals have spoken openly about their own struggles and experiences.