Negative content shown to Molly Russell by algorithms on Instagram and Pinterest has been blamed for her death by an official inquest.
Molly Russell's father, Ian Russell (IMAGE: KIRSTY O'CONNOR / PA)
The inquest officially stated that Molly died of "an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content".
Senior coroner, Andrew Walker told the inquest that Molly was "exposed to material that may have influenced her in a negative way and, in addition, what had started as a depression had become a more serious depressive illness".
He went on to say that the content she saw "romanticised acts of self-harm", "normalised her condition" and created a "limited and irrational view without any counterbalance of normality".
Going against the arguments made by Meta, Walker explicitly stated that Pinterest and Instagram were not safe for children "as they allowed access to adult content that should not have been available for a 14-year-old child to see".
We echo Molly's father, Ian Russell's hope that this will be an "important step in bringing about much needed change". We look forward to growing our partnership with the Molly Rose Foundation and together making the internet a safer place for all children.
