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Meghan Markle slammed for calling social media users drug addicts after she deletes accounts for 'self-preservation'

The Duchess of Sussex also said, 'There is something in there algorithmically creating this obsession that I think is very unhealthy for people' 

Meghan Markle has slammed social media users and called social media usage an addiction and obsession after blasting online abuse. She compared those on social media to drug addicts, while giving a 15-minute speech at an online conference which people had to pay to be a part of. The conference cost around $1,750 (£1,342) per ticket for those who wanted to log on and watch the conference, The Sun reports. 

The mother of one shared, "I have for my own self-preservation not been on social media for a very long time. I had a personal account years ago which I closed down. Then we had one through the institution in our office in the UK. That wasn't managed by us, that was a whole team."

"That comes with the territory for the job, I have made a personal choice to not have any account so I don't know what's out there and for many ways that's helpful for me," she added. "I have a lot of concerns for people that have become obsessed with it and so much a part of our daily culture for so many people that it’s an addiction, like many others very things in this world."

The Duchess of Sussex went on to say that "People who are addicted to drugs are users and people who are on social media are called users. And there is something in there algorithmically creating this obsession that I think is very unhealthy for people." 

Meghan was seen sporting a blue and white dress and had kept her hair tied back in a low ponytail as she spoke at the online conference. "If you don’t agree with [something], don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t, hate share - share something from the right side of the issue so that that’s what goes viral," she continued. 

She also spoke about the theme of 'amplifying only the positive' and shared, "You don’t reward bad behavior with your dog, so you shouldn’t do it with anything else." 

Many social media users slammed Meghan online for her comments. One such user had shared, "Who does she think she’s kidding? She uses Twitter, which is a social media platform." Another social media user added, "Is she upset coz those on social media cottoned on to her use of spin on social media!"

"Bottom line- She’s clearly NOT OKAY. How many times has she proven that definitively now?" wrote another social media user on Twitter. 

We had earlier reported that Meghan and her husband Prince Harry stepped down from their roles as senior members of the royal family and have been making headlines for their statements on Black Lives Matter and voter suppression. Most recently, the duo joined Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai from their $14 million Santa Barbara home for a video that was shared on the Oxford graduate's social media accounts in celebration of International Day of the Girl. 

The couple had spoken about the importance of a girl's right to a fair education and addressed how the Covid-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on young women's access to education during the event.