Princess Sofia has spoken out on how she and Prince Carl Philip are planning to protect their children from online bullying. While attending a seminar on online harassment on Saturday, the Princess also shared her personal experiences with online bullying.
The summer holiday came to an end today for Princess Sofia as she attended a seminar on combatting online bullying as part of the festival “Let’s make love great again”. Princess Sofia was one of the main speakers at the festival this weekend. The Prince Couple’s Foundation participates in and supports the gathering which is taking place in Stockholm. The Prince Couple’s Foundation was founded on the occasion of the couple’s wedding in 2013 and is involved with dyslexia and combatting hate speech.
Princess Sofia has been deeply involved in the fight against online bullying ever since she experienced it herself. On Saturday morning, Princess Sofia was interviewed by TV4 on the issue. She said: “When my relationship with Carl Philip became public I was greeted by a huge hate storm. People had opinions about me and my relationship, and more. It surprised me and knocked me over for a period of time. It was very tough. People had comments on everything possible, on what I do and how I look.”
The most frightening was that when rumours swirled around long enough, they would be considered as truths according to the Princess. She reacted by not reading the comments anymore, Princess Sofia revealed.
At the festival, Princess Sofia also took the time to talk to the press on the issue of online bullying. Speaking to Swedish news Expressen, she said: “It is very important for adults to be good role models on the web. Think twice before you post something online. A lot of children and young people have seen adults behave badly online. As everyone knows, children will act in the same way adults act.”
Another advice the Princess would give to parents is: “Dare to talk to your children about what it’s like on the web and what goes on. Let them tell about their experiences.”
September 2017, Photo: Erika Gerdemark, Kungahuset.se
The wife of Prince Carl Philip also talked about her own children and how to protect them from online bullying. She revealed that she and Carl Philip had already spoken about the issue. She said: “We have said that we plan to always have an open dialogue on the level of our children. It is partly about giving our children the tools and tools to deal with life in general. Also, the network they have is very important.”
When asked whether her children have started to use a computer, she said: “They are still a bit small, but sometimes it happens … but just like any other family, it happens that they get a little internet time.”
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia have two children: Prince Alexander (2) and Prince Gabriel (who turns one at the end of this month).
