Clean up your act net giants warned
INTERNET giants have been warned the Government will pass an enforcement law if they do not remove images which encourage suicide and self-harm from their platforms.
The Health Secretary said he is horrified by the effect images are having on young people.
And Matt Hancock insisted the social media giants need to take more responsibility for what happens on their platforms.
In a letter to social media providers Google, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, Apple, and Twitter, Mr Hancock highlighted 14-yearold Molly Russell’s suicide.
Molly, of Harrow, north-west London, was found dead in her bedroom in November 2017 after showing “no obvious signs” of severe mental health issues. Her family was horrified when they later found she had been viewing material on social media linked to anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide.
Her father, Ian Russell, last week accused Instagram of “helping to kill her” and said algorithms used by Instagram enabled Molly to view more harmful content.
He said: “In the same way that someone who has shown an interest in a sport may be shown more and more posts about that sport, the same can be true of topics such as selfharm or suicide.”
Mr Hancock said in his letter that as a parent himself he wanted a safer environment for children and teenagers online. He said: “Molly was just two years older than my daughter is now, and I feel desperately concerned to ensure young people are protected.
“I was inspired by the bravery of Molly’s father, who spoke out, and moved by the sense that there is much more we all need to do to stop a tragedy like this from happening again. “Lots of parents feel powerless in the face of social media. But we are not powerless. Government and social media providers have a duty to act.” He acknowledged they had developed new practices and made steps to control content.
However, he told them: “It is time for internet and social media providers to step up and purge this content once and for all.”
The Government, he said, was developing a white paper to address all online harms which will be consulted upon soon.
“Addressing suicidal and self-harm content will form part of that white paper,” his letter said.
“I want to work with internet and social media providers to ensure the action is as effective as possible. However, let me be clear that we will introduce new legislation where needed.”