The coroner who presided over the inquest into the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell has called on the government to consider creating separate social media platforms for adults and children. Andrew Walker, senior coroner for North London, issued a prevention of future deaths report recommending a review of children's access to online content.
Molly, from Harrow, north-west London, died in November 2017 after viewing extensive material related to suicide, depression, anxiety and self-harm on platforms including Instagram and Pinterest. In a landmark conclusion last month, Walker ruled that social media had contributed to her death.
Walker's report, sent to Meta (owner of Instagram), Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter, Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan and Ofcom, recommends the government examine separate sites for children and adults, age verification, age-appropriate content, algorithmic content provision, advertising to children, and parental access to children's accounts.
He also suggested establishing an independent body to monitor social media content and considering legislation to protect children. The Online Safety Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, imposes a duty of care on tech platforms. Walker urged platforms to consider self-regulation, saying: 'I can see no reason why the platforms themselves would not wish to give consideration to self-regulation.'
Molly's father, Ian Russell, urged social media companies to 'think long and hard' about whether their services are safe for children and to take proactive action before the bill becomes law. He called for stronger criminal sanctions against tech bosses who fail to address algorithmic amplification of harmful content.
Internet safety expert William Perrin noted that many of Walker's recommendations are covered by the Online Safety Bill, but the government has yet to implement it. Crossbench peer Beeban Kidron said she did not support separate platforms but agreed children should have an age-appropriate experience. All parties receiving the report must respond by 8 December.
