Molly Russell: Dad criticises social media firms' responses to coroner

Molly Russell's begetter has criticised societal media companies for their "underwhelming" effect to a coroner's telephone to forestall aboriginal deaths.

The 14-year-old, from Harrow, London, took her ain beingness successful 2017 aft viewing termination and self-harm contented online.

A coroner concluded Molly died portion suffering from the "negative effects" of online content.

Ian Russell said the societal media firms' responses indicated a "business arsenic accustomed approach".

Recommendations were issued, including a reappraisal of algorithms utilized by the sites to supply content.

Molly's begetter Mr Russell said lone regulation, arsenic projected successful the Online Safety Bill, would alteration the cognition of societal media giants.

He said: "My absorption is summed up by underwhelming and unsurprising.

"The responses alteration but successful wide they are underwhelming and look to maine to bespeak a 'business arsenic usual' attack post-Molly's inquest.

"One possibly would person hoped that looking astatine the level of item that was presented to the coroner… it would person focused minds and compelled tech platforms to respond much positively to enactment information higher up their agenda.

"But that doesn't look to beryllium the lawsuit - peculiarly successful Meta's case."

Meta, the genitor institution of Instagram, successful their effect to the coroner's PFD study said it had introduced a delicate contented power connected the platform,"take a break" reminders and a nudge diagnostic for teenagers dwelling connected a peculiar topic.

Pinterest besides responded, saying it would make tools to bounds the organisation of bittersweet oregon depressive contented to teens, and grow its self-harm argumentation to region references to self-harm oregon termination successful artwork oregon memes.

Snap Inc, which runs Snapchat, said it was introducing caller resources to assistance radical negociate their intelligence health.

Molly, from Harrow successful north-west London, ended her beingness successful November 2017 aft viewing termination and self-harm contented connected sites specified arsenic Instagram and Pinterest, prompting her household to run for amended net safety.

Mr Russell has repeated calls for transgression liability for elder bosses astatine societal media platforms.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces arsenic a rebellion from Conservative MPs implicit the Online Safety Bill.

Around 50 rebels, including ex-Home Secretary Priti Patel and erstwhile enactment person Sir Iain Duncan Smith, are pushing for societal media bosses to beryllium made criminally liable if they bash not artifact minors from seeing damaging contented online.

The caller net information instrumentality volition necessitate tech companies to region amerciable worldly from their platforms, with a peculiar accent connected protecting children from seeing harmful content.