Wills in online safety plea as coroner gives damning ruling on Molly’s death
PRINCE William warned last night that children’s safety online must not be an ‘afterthought’ following a landmark ruling that social media had contributed to a child’s death.
Molly Russell, 14, died from an ‘act of selfharm while suffering depression and the negative effects of online content’, a coroner concluded yesterday.
Internet safety campaigners and children’s charities said it was a ‘watershed’ moment that would ‘send shockwaves through Silicon Valley’. The inquest had heard that the schoolgirl, from Harrow, north-west London, ‘binged’ on thousands of self-harm and suicide posts on Instagram and Pinterest in the months before her death. Following the ruling, Molly’s father said if it wasn’t for the ‘demented trail of lifesucking content’ online his daughter, who died in 2017, would ‘still be alive’.
Urging the Government to deliver the Online Safety Bill, he said: ‘It’s time to protect our innocent young people, instead of allowing platforms to prioritise their profits by monetising their misery.’
Responding to the findings, William, who has long campaigned for better protection of children online, tweeted: ‘No parent should ever have to endure what Ian Russell and his family have been through. They have been so incredibly brave. Online safety for our children and young people needs to be a prerequisite, not an afterthought.’
The Prince of Wales, who has previously met Molly’s parents, will now contact the family to see if he can help them in any way, royal aides said.
Senior Coroner Andrew Walker ruled that social media algorithms had recommended content that ‘romanticised acts of self-harm’ and portrayed suicide as an ‘inevitable consequence’.
‘The sites normalised her condition, focusing on a limited and irrational view without any counterbalance of normality,’ he said. Mr Walker concluded that the material viewed by vulnerable Molly, who was severely depressed, ‘affected her mental health in a negative way and contributed to her death in a more than minimal way’.
Following the verdict, Andy Burrows, head of online safety policy at child protection charity the NSPCC, said: ‘This is social media’s Big Tobacco moment. For the first time globally it has been ruled content a child was allowed and even encouraged to see by tech companies contributed to their death. The world will be watching their response.’
At a press conference after the coroner delivered his conclusion, Mr Russell said: ‘Thank you, Molly, for being my daughter. Thank you.’
Describing Molly as a ‘thoughtful, sweet-natured, inquisitive, selfless, beautiful individual,’ he said: ‘For Molly’s sake… let’s make the online world a place that prioritises the safety and wellbeing of young people over the money that can be made from them.’
Over the past fortnight, North London Coroner’s Court heard how Molly saw 2,100 posts related to depression, self-harm or suicide in the six months leading up to her death.
Giving evidence, Instagram owner Meta’s head of health and wellbeing Elizabeth Lagone said she believed the content, which Molly’s family say ‘encouraged’ suicide, was safe. The tech giant changed its policy in 2019 to ban all depictions of graphic self-harm and suicide.
Pinterest’s Judson Hoffman
‘Tech platforms held responsible’
told the inquest the site was ‘not safe’ when Molly used it and they had made improvements to its safety since then.
Mr Russell said he hoped the findings will be an ‘important step in bringing about muchneeded change’ and called on Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg to ‘just listen… and then do something about it’.
He added: ‘For the first time today, tech platforms have been formally held responsible for the death of a child.’
The Government’s Online Safety Bill, which is going through Parliament, will impose a duty of care on the biggest social media firms and search engines to protect users. Media watchdog Ofcom will act as regulator and have the power to hand out fines of up to 10 per cent annual turnover – or even block sites from being used in the UK.
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Michelle Donelan said the inquest had ‘shown the horrific failure of social media platforms to put the welfare of children first’.
Sir Peter Wanless, the NSPCC’s chief executive, said: ‘The ruling should send shockwaves through Silicon Valley – tech companies must expect to be held to account when they put the safety of children second to commercial decisions.’
The Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza yesterday blasted social media giants following the verdict, telling them to ‘get a moral compass and step up’.
Meta said they would ‘carefully consider’ the coroner’s report, while Pinterest added it was ‘committed to making ongoing improvements’ to make the platform safe. nFor help or support, visit samaritans.org or call the Samaritans for free on 116 123