Social media a factor in Molly Russell death - coroner

The “negative effects of online content” were a factor in the death of a girl who took her own life, an inquest has found.

Coroner Andrew Walker said material viewed by 14-year-old Molly Russell on social media “shouldn’t have been available for a child to see”.

Molly, from Harrow, viewed thousands of images of self-harm and suicide before she died in November 2017.

Mr Walker said: “It would not be safe to leave suicide as a conclusion.”

He added: “She died from an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content.”

‘Particularly graphic’

The coroner, who described some of the content as “most distressing”, will now compile a “prevention of future deaths” report outlining his concerns.

He said: “It’s likely the material viewed by Molly… affected her mental health in a negative way and contributed to her death in a more than minimal way.

He is to write to Meta – the owner of Instagram – and Pinterest, as well as the government and Ofcom.

Mr Walker said some of the material Molly viewed was “particularly graphic” and “normalised her condition,” focusing on a “limited” view without any counter-balance.

If you’ve been affected by self-harm or emotional distress, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.