Tragic teen’s dad: Online danger is constant
CHILDREN are confronted with danger every time they go online, the grieving father of a schoolgirl who killed herself warned last night.
Ian Russell’s daughter Molly, 14, took her own life in 2017 after seeing graphic images of selfharm and suicide on Instagram. He called on ministers to overhaul web regulation so users can feel safe again.
Ian told a joint committee of MPs and peers: “The online world, after a period of selfregulation which patently hasn’t worked, is more dangerous. The online world needs to be a better reflection of the offline world in which dangers are controlled.”
The committee is scrutinising the Government’s Draft Online Safety Bill, which Ian hoped would make the internet “a much safer place than it is now”.