Ian Russell, the father of 14-year-old Molly Russell, has accused major social media companies of 'monetising misery' after a coroner ruled that harmful online content contributed to her death. The inquest found that Molly, from Harrow, north-west London, had viewed large amounts of content related to suicide, depression, self-harm and anxiety on Instagram and Pinterest before she died in November 2017.
Senior coroner Andrew Walker concluded that algorithms had pushed harmful content to Molly that she had not requested, with some material 'romanticising' self-harm and discouraging professional help. He said it was likely that the content affected her negatively and contributed to her death 'in a more than minimal way'. Walker also noted that some sites were 'not safe' for a 14-year-old due to adult content.
Ian Russell criticised Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, for guiding his daughter on a 'demented trail of life-sucking content'. He urged Mark Zuckerberg to 'listen to the people who use his platform' and act on the coroner's conclusions. Russell called for the government to implement its long-delayed online safety bill.
Executives from Meta and Pinterest apologised during the hearing. Elizabeth Lagone, Meta's head of health and wellbeing policy, admitted some content viewed by Molly had breached guidelines. A Meta spokesperson said the company would 'carefully consider' the coroner's report, while Pinterest pledged to make ongoing safety improvements.
Prince William said no parent should endure what the Russell family had been through, and that online safety for children 'needs to be a prerequisite, not an afterthought'. Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan described the inquest as showing a 'horrific failure' by social media platforms and said the online safety bill was the answer.
