London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

UK Teen Girl Died After "Negative Effects Of Online Content"

UK Teen Girl Died After "Negative Effects Of Online Content"

Molly Russell 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," Andrew Walker ruled at North London Coroner's Court.

A 14-year-old British girl died from an act of self-harm while suffering from the "negative effects of online content", a coroner said Friday, in a case that has shone a spotlight on social media companies.

Molly Russell 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," Andrew Walker ruled at North London Coroner's Court.

The teenager "died from an act of self-harm while suffering depression", he said, but added it would not be "safe" to conclude it was suicide.

Some of the content she viewed was "particularly graphic" and "normalised her condition," said Walker.

Of the 16,300 posts Russell saved, shared or liked on Instagram in the six-month period before her death, 2,100 related to depression, self-harm or suicide, the inquest was told.

Russell, from Harrow in northwest London, died in November 2017, leading her family to set up a campaign highlighting the dangers of social media.

"Molly was a thoughtful, sweet-natured, caring, inquisitive, selfless, beautiful individual -- although a few words cannot possibly encapsulate our wonderful girl," her father Ian said in a statement.

"We have heard a senior Meta (Instagram parent company) executive describe this deadly stream of content the platform's algorithms pushed to Molly as 'safe' and not contravening the platform's policies.

"If this demented trail of life-sucking content was safe, my daughter Molly would probably still be alive and instead of being a bereaved family of four, there would be five of us looking forward to a life full of purpose and promise that lay ahead for our adorable Molly.

"It's time the toxic corporate culture at the heart of the world's biggest social media platform changed," he urged.

Silicon Valley 'shockwaves'


The week-long hearing became heated when the family's lawyer, Oliver Sanders, took a Meta executive to task.

A visibly angry Sanders asked Elizabeth Lagone, the head of health and wellbeing at Meta, why the platform allowed children to use it when it was "allowing people to put potentially harmful content on it".

"You are not a parent, you are just a business in America. You have no right to do that. The children who are opening these accounts don't have the capacity to consent to this," he said.

Lagone apologised after being shown footage, viewed by Russell, that "violated our policies".

In a statement issued following the ruling, a spokeswoman for Meta said: "Our thoughts are with the Russell family and everyone who has been affected by this tragic death.

"We'll continue our work with the world's leading independent experts to help ensure that the changes we make offer the best possible protection and support for teens," she added.

Children's charity NSPCC said the ruling "must be a turning point", stressing that any delay to a government bill dealing with online safety "would be inconceivable to parents".

"Tech companies must be held accountable when they don't make children's safety a priority," tweeted the charity.

NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said the ruling should "send shockwaves through Silicon Valley".

"The magnitude of this moment for children everywhere cannot be understated," he added.

Comments

Oh ya 3 year ago
If the parents are so concerned about the things there daughter saw where were they when she was seeing them. It is not the companies fault your daughter had head problems and you failed to monitor a minors web use. But chances are they want to sue and make a few bucks off their dead daughter

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
×