Meghan Markle said she is “one of the most bullied people in the world,” according to the founder of a teen advocacy group. However, sources who spoke to The Post refute the claim.
Markle, 43, recently visited Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara to take part in a just-launched digital wellness program called Social Media U. The program will be rolled out nationwide with the support of #HalfTheStory, a teen advocacy group focused on “digital wellbeing movement for the next generation.”
The expansion of Social Media U will be funded by Meghan and Prince Harry’s Archewell Foundation, along with the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation and Melissa French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures.
At the Oct. 2 event in Santa Barbara, described as “a screen-free afternoon of games, friendship bracelets and coloring,” Meghan joined forces with Girls Inc. CEO Stephanie J. Hull and #HalfTheStory founder Larissa May to speak about their own experiences with social media.
While speaking with Vanity Fair in a story published Friday, May said that during the event, “Meghan talked about being one of the most bullied people in the world” as they were doing “an activity where we talked through a bunch of scenarios.”
“We had girls wave these little emoji signs and talk about how each one of these scenarios would have impacted them emotionally.”
May continued, “With Stephanie and Meghan, we talked about what it really means to grow up in this digital age.”
However, sources confirmed to The Post that the Duchess of Sussex “talked about her experience with online bullying but never claimed she was the most bullied person in the world.”
The Post has reached out to a representative for the Duchess.
Meghan and May got acquainted in 2023 when #HalfTheStory was selected as one of the first organizations included in the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund, a group backed by Archewell.
“We really wanted to make sure that the teens at #HalfTheStory were able to give their input on the type of experience that we would create. Ultimately, we thought the best way to do that was to create a space of vulnerability,” May said.
The youth advocacy leader praised Meghan and Harry’s work to help young people as they build their futures in a digital-oriented world. “I know a lot of young women who work on their social media because it brings joy and inspiration,” May continued.
“Tech isn’t going anywhere. It’s more like food than a drug, because it is a social determinant of public health, economic empowerment and academic empowerment.”
#HalfTheStory’s partner, Girls Inc., reaches approximately 114,000 girls annually, providing programming and leadership training through a network of 75 organizations across the US and Canada. “Girls, Inc is in its 160th year and it has always evolved to meet girls where they are,” Hull told VF. “So today we are talking about the digital world as the place where we need to really address the safety and the well-being of girls.”
Markle and Prince Harry, 40, have been as of late with their charitable endeavors.
Harry attended the WellChild Awards in the UK and traveled to Lesotho to support his charity, Sentebale, which helps children and adolescents struggling to come to terms with their HIV and AIDS diagnosis.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also traveled to Colombia in August for a conference on building a better digital future.