Social Media Companies Must provide data to UK coroners
London, England, Coroner Finds Social Media "Contributed More than Minimally" to Teen's Death
London, England, Coroner Finds Social Media "Contributed More than Minimally" to Teen's Death
London, England, Coroner Finds Social Media "Contributed More than Minimally" to Teen's Death
Read More at BBC.com
- Molly Rose Russell, 14 years old, died by suicide in November 2017. In the last six months of her life, Molly was depressed. She extensively used Pinterest and Instagram during that period.
- On September 30, 2022, north London Coroner, Andrew Walker, publicly released findings from the inquest into Molly's death. He concluded that Molly died from an act of self-harm while suffering depression and the negative effects of online content.
- Walker stated that images of self-harm and suicide she viewed "shouldn't have been available for a child to see".
- Walker concluded that Pinterest and Instagram used algorithms that encouraged "binge periods" of viewing harmful content that Molly did not request to see.
- For more information or to find out how you can help, contact the Molly Rose Foundation or the Screen Time Action Network.
UK's Online Safety Act of 2023 Opens Hidden Online Activities to Grieving Parents
London, England, Coroner Finds Social Media "Contributed More than Minimally" to Teen's Death
London, England, Coroner Finds Social Media "Contributed More than Minimally" to Teen's Death
Read more at MSN.com
- Ofcom, the UK's regulatory agency in charge of communication services, issued orders requiring social media companies to provide access to the social media accounts of children where it suspects that social media had an influence on a child's suicide or death.
- Companies that fail to comply will face fines of up to 10 per cent of their global revenue.
- Directors of the companies could be jailed for up to two years if they fail to comply with or obstruct Ofcom’s requests for access to the data.
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U.S. federal regulations are enacted to make online experiences safer for youth.