Prince Harry says the mental health campaign that he started alongside Prince William and Princess Kate is beginning to “shift the dial” — and on Thursday, he also highlighted a current concern of modern life.
“I cannot tell you how pleased William, Catherine and I are that the dial seems to have shifted and that there is now greater understanding, compassion and kindness for anyone who opens up about their struggles,” he said in a speech at a mental health event in Leeds in northern England. “But let’s not kid ourselves that the job is done — there is much, much more that we can do at every level to make conversations about mental health as common place as those about physical health.”
Harry, William and Kate set up Heads Together to promote mental-health awareness and support in April 2016. On Thursday, Harry noted the extreme amount of time people spend on their phones.
“I read recently that young people check their phones at least 150 times per day – I’m sure we could all be more effective and efficient if we took a moment to process our thoughts rather than rushing from one thing to the next,” he said.
Also on Thursday the prince, 32, followed a stadium to watch kids play rugby league in a bid to help encourage more than 700,000 children from primary and secondary schools playing the game.
They are taking part in a festival of seven-a-side touch rugby league games, coached by current England players and local coaches from the Leeds Rhinos Foundation. It is Harry’s first engagement in his new role as Royal Patron of the Rugby Football League.
Harry’s two-day tour of Leeds will continue on Friday, when he is scheduled to visit a children’s hospital as well as the home of a seriously ill 5-year-old boy who is being supported by WellChild, another of Harry’s key charities.
This article originally appeared on People.com
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