Molly Russell's death made huge headlines after authorities confirmed that content on various social media platforms contributed to the child's decision to take her own life.
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A woman uses a laptop on April 3, 2019, in Abidjan. - According to the figures of the platform of the fight against cybercrime (PLCC) of the national police, nearly one hundred crooks of the internet, were arrested in 2018 in Ivory Coast.
Recently, the inquest for the 14-year-old girl's death said that the kid used Instagram and Pinterest.
The investigation claimed that Molly accessed these online websites to view a large amount of harmful content.
These include posts about depression, self-harm, as well as suicide.
Because of these, authorities blamed the content that the young girl saw before she died in November 2017, as reported by The Conversation.
Molly Russell: Social Media Platforms for Adults, Children Should be Separated?
According to The Guardian's latest report, the senior coroner for Russell's inquest, Andrew Walker, suggested that there should be separate social media platforms for adults and children.
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Because the death of Molly showed what harmful online content could do, Walker decided to issue a prevention of future deaths report.
He asked the government to review the provision of social media platforms to young users.
In his report, authorities should look at separate online platforms for adults and children.
Aside from this, he also recommended checking users' ages before they can create their social media accounts.
Other Things Discussed by Coroner Walker
Coroner Walker's report included more suggestions that government can follow further to protect young users from harmful social media content.
Among these are the following:
- Using algorithms to provide content
- Providing age-appropriate content to children.
- Parental or guardian access to a young user's social media account.
Aside from the government, Walker also sent his prevention of future deaths report to Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Twitter, the platforms that Molly used before she died.
If you want to learn more details about Walker's suggestions to protect children from harmful social media content, you can click here.
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The Online Safety Bill delay caused concerns among parents.
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Related Article: The Molly Russell Inquest: Social Media Firms, Including Meta, Must Re-Evaluate Their Safety Measures
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Written by Griffin Davis
