Bereaved families call for inquiry into UK failure to act on pro-suicide forum | Internet safety

Bereaved families and survivors of a pro-suicide forum have called for a public inquiry into the government’s failure to prevent harm linked to the online platform.

The calls come as a report reveals coroners have raised concerns about suicide forums at least 65 times to three departments since 2019.

They also highlighted that a substance promoted as a method of suicide on these platforms has been linked to at least 133 deaths in the UK, with the youngest known victim being just 13 years old.

The analysis, published by the Molly Rose Foundation – established after the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell in November 2017 – is the result of a systematic review of reports published by coroners to prevent future deaths.

According to their report, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology failed to act on coroners’ warnings about the dangers of pro-suicide forums.

In a letter to the prime minister, the group Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms said their loved ones have been “abandoned by a state that has been too slow to respond to threats and, despite multiple warnings, has failed to act to save lives and prevent harm.”

The letter said: “This series of failures requires a statutory response, not only to understand why our loved ones died, but also to prevent further lives from being lost in the same way.

“What matters now is not blame but change that will ensure that the most vulnerable young people are not at risk of entirely avoidable harm. »

Signatories to the letter include the family of Aimee Walton, who died after accessing pro-suicide content online.

The foundation is calling for the public inquiry to specifically examine the Home Office’s failure to strengthen regulation of the substance, and Ofcom for failing to take necessary action to prevent the threat from the pro-suicide forum.

Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said the report “clearly shows how the state’s repeated failures to protect its vulnerable citizens mean the nihilistic potential of a suicide forum has cost countless lives.”

He added: “It is inexplicable that Ofcom has abandoned the fate of a forum which exists to prepare and coerce others to end their lives at its own hands rather than taking swift and decisive action to legally shut it down in the UK.

“Nothing less than a public inquiry is now needed to learn the countless lessons and act on them to save lives. »

Calls for an investigation are backed by Leigh Day, a law firm representing seven bereaved clients.

A government spokesperson said: “Suicide devastates families and we are unequivocal about the responsibility of online services to keep people safe on their platforms.

“Under the Online Safety Act, services must take steps to prevent users from accessing illegal content about suicide and self-harm and ensure children are protected from harmful content that promotes them.

“The substance in question is closely monitored and must be declared under the Poisons Act, meaning retailers must alert the authorities if they suspect it is being purchased with the aim of causing harm. We will continue to monitor dangerous substances to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.”