Latest news with #MollyRussell
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
TikTok and Instagram still recommend suicide and self-harm content 'at industrial scale' eight years after Molly Russell's death
Suicide and self-harm content is still recommended to teenagers 'at industrial scale' by TikTok and Instagram eight years after Molly Russell's tragic death, according to new research. The Molly Rose Foundation found that social media algorithms are 'putting young lives at risk' as they recommend depression, suicide and self-harm content to accounts opened as a 15-year-old-girl. The foundation - set up by Ian Russell after his 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life having viewed harmful content online - is calling for the Prime Minister to introduce tougher measures to stop 'preventable harm happening on his watch'. The report, Pervasive-by-design, was conducted in the weeks leading up to the implementation of the Online Safety Act and claims that social media platforms are 'gaming Ofcom 's new rules'. Molly Rose said its research found the material recommended by both TikTok and Instagram now 'would have the same harmful impact as content which Molly Russell saw before her death in 2017'. The foundation carried out previous research in 2023 and said its latest report 'suggest things remain unchanged or have gotten worse'. The charity found that, on teenage accounts which had engaged with suicide, self-harm and depression posts, algorithms continue to 'bombard young people with a tsunami of harmful content on Instagram Reels and TikTok's For You page'. Mr Russell, the Molly Rose chairman, said: 'It is staggering that, eight years after Molly's death, incredibly harmful suicide, self-harm and depression content like she saw is still pervasive across social media.' The foundation has previously been critical of regulator Ofcom's child safety codes for not being strong enough and said its research showed they 'do not match the sheer scale of harm being suggested to vulnerable users and ultimately do little to prevent more deaths like Molly's'. Mr Russell added: 'For over a year, this entirely preventable harm has been happening on the Prime Minister's watch and where Ofcom have been timid it is time for him to be strong and bring forward strengthened, life-saving legislation without delay.' The report found that 97 per cent of the videos it was recommended on Instagram Reels and 96 per cent of those suggested on TikTok were 'harmful'. The videos also had a 'deeply disturbing levels of reach' with some 'liked' more than a million times. Rani Govender, from child safety charity the NSPCC, described the report's findings are 'deeply alarming and utterly unacceptable' and said 'tech companies must act urgently to prevent the spread of this deeply damaging suicide and self-harm content'. However TikTok said it has made significant safety improvements and enforces strict rules against suicide or self-harm content. It is understood it 'completely rejects' claims it is 'gaming' safety requirements. A spokesman added: 'With over 99 per cent of violative content proactively removed by TikTok, the findings don't reflect the real experience of people on our platform which the report admits.' A spokesman for Meta said the research is not representative of the experience of Instagram's users and 'we disagree with the assertions of this report and the limited methodology behind it'. They added: 'We continue to use automated technology to remove content encouraging suicide and self-injury, with 99 per cent proactively actioned before being reported to us.' It comes as separate research found that the proportion of children who have seen pornography online has risen in the past two years and most are likely to have stumbled upon it accidentally. Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said her research is evidence that harmful content is being presented to children through dangerous algorithms, rather than them seeking it out. She described the content young people are seeing as 'violent, extreme and degrading' and often illegal, and said her findings must be seen as a 'snapshot of what rock bottom looks like'. Made up of responses from 1,020 people aged between 16 and 21 years old and carried out in May, the report found that children were on average aged 13 when they first saw porn but 27 per cent said they were 11 and some reported being 'six or younger'. The report, a follow-on from research by the Children's Commissioner's office in 2023, found a higher proportion - 70 per cent - of people saying they had seen online pornography before turning 18, up from 64 per cent two years ago. Dame Rachel said: 'This report must act as a line in the sand. The findings set out the extent to which the technology industry will need to change for their platforms to ever keep children safe.'
Daily Mirror
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Major backlash over Nigel Farage tech vow - 'doesn't care if kids are exploited'
Nigel Farage has come under fire after vowing to rip up the Online Safety Act, which was brought in to protect children online and prevent more tragedies like the death of Molly Russell Nigel Farage faces a huge backlash after vowing to rip up protections to stop kids viewing dangerous material and porn. The Reform leader confirmed his party would abolish the Online Safety Act - but admitted he has idea how to stop children accessing harmful content. A Labour source told The Mirror: " Nigel Farage has inexplicably chosen to side with those who peddle extreme pornography to children as young as five. "He's unfussed with rape, incest and torture videos flooding back into Britain. And doesn't care if young people are exploited by horrific suicide forums." The Reform chief was dismissed as "not serious" after the remarks, which also saw fellow Reform heavyweight Zia Yusuf brand the legislation "dystopian". Mr Farage was unable to say how he would prevent tragedies like that of Molly Russell, who took her life after accessing sick content promoting suicide aged just 14. Andy Burrows, chief executive of Molly Rose Foundation, set up in her memory, said scrapping the Act would be "retrograde". READ MORE: Nigel Farage rattled by Donald Trump question - 'am I wrong?' And he said the public wants more protections, not less. Mr Burrows said: "Scrapping the Online Safety Act would be a retrograde move that would not only put children at greater risk but is out of step with the mood of the public. "In fact, our polling shows that voters across the political spectrum want stronger online safety laws not weaker ones, and politicians on all sides would do well to listen to them." He described the legislation as an "important building block" and said parents and grandparents support decisive action. Asked how he would protect youngsters like Molly, Mr Farage told journalists yesterday(MON): "Can I stand here and say that we have a perfect answer for you right now? No." Earlier former Reform chairman Mr Yusuf had suggested that safety steps could be used by social media firms to "censor anti-government speech". Under changes that came into effect last week, age verification checks and changes to algorithms have been brought in. But critics have warned young people have easily-accessible ways to work around it. The Government has pledged to keep measures under review to prevent kids accessing material on suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and pornography. A Labour spokesperson said: 'Nigel Farage would scrap vital protections for young people online, and recklessly open the floodgates to kids being exposed to extreme digital content. 'Reform offers anger but no answers. They won't say what they would do instead to keep people safe." Apple's app store shows more people are turning to virtual private networks (VPNs) to get around the new rules. These allow users to hide their real location. Mr Yusuf said: "Sending all of these kids onto VPNs is a far worse situation, and sends them much closer to the dark web, where the real dangers lie." And Mr Farage said he would have "more access to some of the best tech brains, not just in the country but in the world" and would "make a much better job of it".
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Government considers social media time limits for children
The government is considering introducing tougher online safety measures to limit the amount of time children can spend on social media, the BBC understands. Proposals include a two-hour cap on the use of individual social media apps and a 22:00 curfew, as first reported by the Sunday People and the Mirror. Appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said he was looking at the "addictive nature of some of the apps and smartphones", when asked whether time limits would be considered. But an online safety campaigner has accused the government of delaying bringing in new laws to protect children. Ian Russell, whose daughter, Molly, took her own life at 14 after seeing harmful content online, said: "Every day the government has delayed bringing in tougher online safety laws we've seen more young lives lost and damaged because of weak regulation and inaction by big tech." Mr Russell, who backed the previous government's Online Safety Act, said only "stronger and more effective" legislation would "finally change the dial on fundamentally unsafe products and business models that prioritise engagement over safety." "Parents up and down the country would be delighted to see the prime minister act decisively to quell the tsunami of harm children face online, but sticking plasters will not do the job." Kyle told the BBC he had not been able to speak publicly about the government's plans to toughen online safety laws because legislation passed by the previous Conservative government in 2023 had yet to be enacted. "This year we've had illegal content that needs to be taken down, but in July, age-appropriate material must be supplied by platforms, otherwise there'll be criminal sanctions against them," he told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. He said that he had been looking carefully at what government needed to do next to "nail down harder" on safety, "understand what a healthy online life for children" looked like and "stop the barriers" towards achieving that. In January, Kyle told the BBC that laws on internet safety were "very uneven" and "unsatisfactory", following calls from campaigners to tighten the rules. The minister expressed his "frustration" with the Online Safety Act but did not commit to making changes to the legislation. A Whitehall source later told the BBC there were no plans to repeal the act. Online safety laws unsatisfactory, minister says Social media faces big changes under new Ofcom rules
BBC News
08-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Social media time limits for children considered by government
The government is considering introducing tougher online safety measures to limit the amount of time children can spend on social media, the BBC include a two-hour cap on the use of individual social media apps and a 22:00 curfew, as first reported by the Sunday People and the on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said he was looking at the "addictive nature of some of the apps and smartphones", when asked whether time limits would be considered. But an online safety campaigner has accused the government of delaying bringing in new laws to protect children. Ian Russell, whose daughter, Molly, took her own life at 14 after seeing harmful content online, said: "Every day the government has delayed bringing in tougher online safety laws we've seen more young lives lost and damaged because of weak regulation and inaction by big tech."Mr Russell, who backed the previous government's Online Safety Act, said only "stronger and more effective" legislation would "finally change the dial on fundamentally unsafe products and business models that prioritise engagement over safety.""Parents up and down the country would be delighted to see the prime minister act decisively to quell the tsunami of harm children face online, but sticking plasters will not do the job."Kyle told the BBC he had not been able to speak publicly about the government's plans to toughen online safety laws because legislation passed by the previous Conservative government in 2023 had yet to be enacted."This year we've had illegal content that needs to be taken down, but in July, age-appropriate material must be supplied by platforms, otherwise there'll be criminal sanctions against them," he told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg said that he had been looking carefully at what government needed to do next to "nail down harder" on safety, "understand what a healthy online life for children" looked like and "stop the barriers" towards achieving that. In January, Kyle told the BBC that laws on internet safety were "very uneven" and "unsatisfactory", following calls from campaigners to tighten the minister expressed his "frustration" with the Online Safety Act but did not commit to making changes to the legislation.A Whitehall source later told the BBC there were no plans to repeal the act.
The Sun
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Children face new social media BAN including ‘two-hour app limit' and curfew in plans to limit time spent on smartphones
CHILDREN face being hit with restrictions on the amount of time they spend on their smartphones under new plans. Curbs such as a two-hour limit per app and a 10pm curfew could be brought in to boost online safety, a Cabinet Minister has indicated. 1 But the move was heavily criticised by campaigners who warned 'sticking plasters' won't be enough to toughen up current laws. It comes after The Sun told this week that one Year 6 class - aged 10 and 11 - had exchanged 9,000 messages in a single night. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle gave a clear sign he is considering bringing in an 'app cap' for children to tackle big tech firms. He said: 'I'm looking at things that prevent healthy activity, I'm looking at some of the addictive nature of some of the apps and smartphones. "I'm trying to think how we can break some of the addictive behaviour and incentivise more of the healthy developmental and also the good communicative side of online life." Tech firms will be have to follow regulator Ofcom's code of conduct to keep users safe online, especially children. Substantial fines and blocking sites are among the penalties for those caught breaking the rules – but campaigners warn this gives the firms the ability to regulate themselves. Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life aged 14 after viewing harmful content on social media, hit out at the plans saying Ministers must 'act decisively'. He said: "Every day the Government has delayed bringing in tougher online safety laws we've seen more young lives lost and damaged because of weak regulation and inaction by big tech. "Parents up and down the country would be delighted to see the Prime Minister act decisively to quell the tsunami of harm children face online, but sticking plasters will not do the job. Mr Russell added: "Only a stronger and more effective Online Safety Act will finally change the dial on fundamentally unsafe products and business models that prioritise engagement over safety."
