Podcast Summary

Podcast: Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know
Host: Hasan Minhaj (with Scott Rogowsky)
Guest: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Episode: Prince Harry Wants Big Tech to Stop Hacking Our Kids’ Brains
Date: October 29, 2025

Overview

This episode brings together Hasan Minhaj and Prince Harry for a candid, spirited, and thought-provoking discussion about the impact of social media and technology on children’s mental health. Prince Harry, now a resident of California and father of two, speaks passionately about the urgent need for tech companies to prioritize child safety and shares insights from his work with the Archewell Foundation, The Parents Network, and the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund. The conversation weaves humor and vulnerability with serious calls to action around digital rights, mental health, and the ethical responsibilities of Big Tech.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Prince Harry’s Life in America and Cultural Adaptation

• Light-hearted banter about settling in the U.S., American habits, and attempts at an “American accent” (04:00).
• Prince Harry jokes about surfing as “the most American thing” he does and not having “legs for shorts” (04:35).
• Fun exchange about ordering breadsticks with ranch at Applebee’s (05:24).

2. Male Vulnerability & Mental Health Stigma

• Both Minhaj and Prince Harry reflect on how culture encourages men, especially British and Indian men, to hide feelings (08:23).
  • Quote (Prince Harry 08:33):
    “I think we’ve made huge progress globally over the last 10, 20 years, especially around stigma around mental health and giving individuals, especially young men, the opportunity to come forward… But I think social media is hampering a lot of the progress.”
• Discussion on how “Men’s Health” magazine focuses on abs, not real mental health (09:05).

3. Social Media’s Impact on Kids' Mental Health

• Prince Harry outlines why his foundation focuses on tech:
  Quote (10:17):
  “This is an industry that’s been going for 20-plus years, and if, as they claim, the last 10 years’ suicide deaths and harms to young people are ‘unintended consequences’ … where are we at now?”
• Hasan and Scott, both parents, discuss the modern dilemma of giving kids phones for safety but being concerned about opening the gateway to social media (12:13–14:15).
  • Quote (Prince Harry 14:28):
    “It's hard enough in today's world being a parent and keeping kids safe. Gone are the days of having your kid under your roof and knowing they’re safe — now, they can be in the next room but lost in the deepest, darkest thoughts via a screen.”
• Collective responsibility of parents and the need for awareness; analogy of children being physically near–but digitally vulnerable (14:28).

4. Tech Industry Accountability and Systemic Issues

• Searing criticism of tech companies for prioritizing engagement and profit over safety (15:35–17:35).
  • Quote (Prince Harry 15:35):
    “The incentives are all to keep kids online for as long as possible, farm and process your thinking, your thoughts… They don’t actually care. What is the future that we want built for us? Or the one we will build for ourselves?”
• Analogy to tobacco industry: social media is similarly engineered for addiction, with children as “collateral damage” (32:45–33:19).

5. Parental Strategies and Dilemmas

• Bribery, lying, and “hostage negotiation” style parenting in the digital age; struggles with opting out of technology (12:46–13:21).
• Even parents who restrict their kids’ access risk their children being outcast or bullied at school for not being on certain platforms (13:58).
• Discussion of “dumb phones” — limiting devices to basic call/text functions (13:39).
• Both hosts and Prince Harry agree: more friction should be introduced into tech experiences, not less.
  Quote (Scott Rogowsky 27:02):
  “The opt-in is so easy. It’s so lubricated for you to access everything… I wish there was more friction. Keep the candy on a higher shelf, for both children and adults.”

6. The Parents Network & Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund

• Prince Harry describes the Parents Network, formed of parents who lost children due to social media harm/suicide, as both a tragedy and a source of activism (17:49–19:15).
  • Quote (Prince Harry 18:30):
    “We created this space...to give parents the collective power and courage to stand up against these systems—to right the wrongs of the past.”
• Youth Power Fund: Funding youth-led tech accountability initiatives, giving young people a voice in decisions that will define their future (41:54–43:14).

7. Digital Rights, Childhood Privacy & The Challenge of AI

• Deep concerns about digital rights for children, the risks of sharing kid photos online, and the specter of AI manipulation (23:06–24:45).
• Prince Harry’s recommended minimum age for social media: “21 is a sensible age, but the companies will never allow it” (26:34).
• New “AI chatbots flirting with children” scandal at major tech companies is cited as an emblem of failed safeguards and misplaced incentives (28:07).
  • Quote (Prince Harry 28:07):
    “We should really...acknowledge the reality that there’s some really evil, wicked people at the heart of this who want to farm our children’s mindset.”
• Echoes of prior failures with social media are likely to repeat with AI unless urgent action is taken (30:25).

8. Societal Solutions and Public Goods

• Vision for a “digital public good”—nonprofit, accessible digital spaces (like public libraries) not subject to the profit motive (37:00).
  • Shout out to Khan Academy and similar educational tools (37:58).

9. Regulation, Hope, and Inspiration

• Prince Harry’s optimism and hope are based on grassroots parent/child organizing, not institutions (47:30).
• Jane Goodall remembered as a beacon of moral clarity; her final message about hope is shared in the closing minutes (53:18–55:51).
  • Quote (Jane Goodall, 53:18):
    “Without hope, we fall into apathy and do nothing… in the dark times that we are living in now, if people don't have hope, we're doomed… so even if this is the end of humanity as we know it, let's fight to the very end. Let’s let the children know that there is hope if they get together.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Prince Harry, on Tech’s Addiction Design (15:35):
  "The incentives are all to keep kids online... They don’t actually care."
• Prince Harry, on Collective Action (33:41):
  “The good thing is that we are the vast majority. They [Big Tech] are the minority. They have the power and desire — but we feel it, everyone feels it. We have to take control of our device and control of our algorithm.”
• Prince Harry, on AI & Mental Ability (34:38):
  “The more you use ChatGPT, the more you use these AI platforms… you completely lose your ability to think, especially critical think.”
• Prince Harry, on Industry Responsibility (46:48):
  "How could you possibly serve something up for our children that you deem unsafe for your own children?"
• Prince Harry, on Steve Jobs and Tech Founders (46:07):
  "The same across the board. It's not just him, it's all of these men, dads, families [limiting tech for their own kids]."
• Jane Goodall, on Hope (53:18):
  “Without hope, we fall into apathy... even if this is the end of humanity as we know it, let's fight to the very end.”

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro & Prince Harry’s Life in America (02:18–05:54)
• Male Vulnerability & Mental Health Culture (08:23–09:44)
• Social Media & Tech Impact on Kids (10:17–15:06; 17:49–19:15)
• Parental Dilemmas/Strategies (12:08–14:45)
• Tech Industry Accountability (15:35–17:35; 32:45–33:19)
• Regulation/Future Warnings on AI (28:07–30:25; 34:38–36:00)
• Digital Rights & Childhood Privacy (23:06–24:45)
• Youth Power Fund and Parent-Driven Reform (41:54–44:10)
• Hope and Legacy of Jane Goodall (53:18–55:51)

Tone & Style

The episode maintains a witty, conversational style, with Prince Harry gamely participating in humor (attempted American accents, jokes about knighthood), balanced by earnest, sometimes somber discussions around children’s mental health, tech’s outsized influence, and the responsibilities of the powerful. The hosts gently nudge the conversation between levity and gravity, and Prince Harry’s tone is open, sincere, and passionate about safeguarding children and reshaping the digital future.

Summary Takeaways

• Big Tech urgently needs to “bake in” child safety and ethical design, rather than externalize the consequences.
• Parents are on the front lines, but real solutions require collective action, regulation, and fundamental shifts in tech company incentives.
• AI poses even greater risks of manipulation if similar mistakes are allowed as with social media.
• Young people and parents must have a seat at the table to shape the digital landscape.
• Hope—grounded in organizing and mutual care—remains essential for motivating change, as reflected in the tributes to Jane Goodall.

If you care about kids, technology, privacy, or simply want to hear two very public figures get real about modern parenthood and the digital world, this episode is required listening.