Molly Russell would be fighting to make online world safe, bereaved father says

The father of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old who took her own life in 2017 after viewing harmful content on social media, has called on the Government to take urgent action to make the online world safer for young people. Speaking ahead of the deadline for the Government’s Growing Up In The Online World consultation, Ian Russell emphasized that his daughter would be fighting to improve digital safety if she were still alive. He and other bereaved parents met with the Prime Minister to discuss measures aimed at protecting children from social media harms, with the Government indicating that new policies could be announced within weeks. More than 80,000 responses were received during the consultation, including input from over 40,000 parents and 13,000 young people. Proposed measures under consideration include banning social media use for under-16s, limiting scrolling time, and imposing overnight curfews for children. However, Ian Russell criticized the idea of a blanket ban, calling it “an admission of failure” that would likely be circumvented by children and could discourage them from seeking help when facing mental health struggles. He highlighted the difficulty for young people to open up about suicidal thoughts, stressing that any barriers to communication could have life-threatening consequences. Instead of outright bans, Mr. Russell advocates for ending engagement-driven algorithms, infinite scrolling, and disappearing messages for minors, as well as preventing strangers from contacting children online. He insists that tech companies must prioritize building safer platforms as a fundamental responsibility. The campaigners’ meeting with the Prime Minister reflects growing pressure on the Government to implement effective regulations that address the mental health risks posed by social media, particularly for vulnerable young users. The outcome of this consultation and forthcoming policy decisions could significantly shape the future of online safety standards in the UK.