Secretary of Health asks social media to "purge" harmful content after teenager's death | News from the United Kingdom

Social media companies must "purge" their websites of any content promoting self-injury and suicide, said the Secretary of Health.

This request comes after a father has accused social media sites of having a role in the fact that his daughter would commit suicide.

Molly Russell was 14 years old when she was found dead in her room in November 2017.

Her family said she did not show "any obvious signs" of serious mental health issues, but later discovered that she had watched social media information about anxiety, self-harm, and self-harm. suicide.

In fact, his father said that the algorithms used by Instagram allowed him to view more harmful content that could contribute to his death.

Health Secretary Matt Hanbad said he had written to a number of Internet companies to remind them of their duty to act.

In his letter, he said: "I am delighted that you have already taken some important steps and developed some features to remove harmful content.But I know you will agree with more that urgent action is needed.

"It is appalling how easy it is to access this online content and I do not doubt the harm that this material can cause, especially for young people.

"It's time for Internet and social media providers to intensify and purge this content once and for all."

He added that the government was preparing a white paper on "online misdeeds" and said it would look at the content related to suicide and self harm.

"I want to work with Internet and social media providers to make the action as effective as possible.

"However, let me say that we will introduce new laws if necessary."

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Molly's father, Ian Russell, criticized both Instagram and the online scrapbooking site Pinterest: "More I was looking for [into Molly’s online accounts]the more it was this icy horror that I became a glimpse of something that had such profound effects on my beautiful daughter. "

He added, "We went to one of Molly's follow-ups and what we found was just awful.

"They seemed to completely encourage self-injury, linking depression to self-harm and suicide, making it inevitable, normal, graphically showing things such as cutting, biting, burning, making bruises, taking medication.

"It was there, hidden in the plan view.

"We only watched two sites because they were so heartbreaking … there is no doubt that Instagram played a role in Molly's death."

An Instagram spokesman said that he "did not allow content that encouraged or glorified eating disorders, self-harm or suicide and that he was not allowed to do so." he was trying to suppress them ".

"However, for many young people, discussing their mental health journey or connecting with others who have faced similar problems is an important part of their recovery.

"That's why we do not remove certain content and instead offer support to people who view or view it when they need it most."

An investigation into Molly's death is expected later this year.

:: If you feel emotionally anxious or suicidal, please call the Samaritans at 116 123 or send an email to [email protected] in the UK. In the United States, call the Samaritan branch in your area or call 1-800-273-TALK.