12-year-olds "compete to become better self-destructors"

CAn innovative study reveals that children aged 12 and over compete for more and more serious self-harm on websites.

They said they wanted to become "better self-destructers" and match the terrible injuries they found on Tumblr, one of the sites they chose because their publications are poorly monitored.

This is the first time that researchers have been able to take advantage of the experience of such sites, after having obtained the authorization to interview young motorists.

This will fuel the growing concern over the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who committed suicide after viewing images of self-harm on Instagram.

This weekend, the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) called on social media companies to take urgent action to tackle the problem of self-harm and called for an independent regulator.

Dr. Max Davie, Health Promotion Officer at RCPCH, said, "We know that rates of self-harm are high and increasing, especially for girls, so it's very worrisome to see the increase in the number of stories encouraging self-injury.

"The combination of social media incentives to get noticed and the lack of effective regulation can be toxic and can contribute to this rise."

The ministers are expected to announce draft laws to regulate social media in the coming months, following a campaign launched by Telegraph for a legal duty of care.

The study from Cardiff University revealed that some young people were only starting to automutile because the internet was a catalyst. However, most of them already self-mutilated and connected online "to make sense of their behavior".