THIRTY families blame social media firms for their roles in children's suicides as it emerges Pinterest sent a personalised email to Molly Russell's account with self-harm images AFTER she took her own life

Thirty families have blamed social media for provoking their children's suicides as it emerged Pinterest sent tragic Molly Russell a personalised email containing images of self-harm.

Molly, 14, of Harrow, north west London, was found dead in her bedroom in November 2017 after showing 'no obvious signs' of severe mental health issues.

Her family later found she had been viewing material on social media linked to anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide.

The teenager's father has now criticised Pinterest, alongside Instagram, for hosting 'harmful' images he said may have played a part in her death.

Ian Russell said: 'The more I looked, the more there was that chill horror that I was getting a glimpse into something that had such profound effects on my lovely daughter. Pinterest has a huge amount to answer for.'

Papyrus, a charity working to prevent child suicides, said it has been contacted by 30 families who suspect social media played a part in their children's deaths, the Sunday Times reported.

Pinterest, which allows users to save images in a virtual scrapbook, hosts images of self-harm wounds, fists clasping white pills, and macabre mottos which can be viewed by children aged 13 and over.

The website, which uses algorithms to drive content, sent a personalised email to Molly containing graphic images a month after she died.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6636807/Now-30-families-blame-social-media-firms-roles-childrens-suicides.html

I think kids under a certain age shouldn't be allowed on social media. Particularly those under 13.

Molly might have been searching for that kind of thing because she felt unhappy or depressed though.

Raggamuffin wrote:Molly might have been searching for that kind of thing because she felt unhappy or depressed though.

Which would put you into a spiral of down down down. If it was up to me, I'd ban computer use for kids outside of school. Let them use it in school for educational purposes. I mean God knows what they find out there. There has to be a reason that youngsters are increasingly suffering from mental health issues.

HoratioTarr wrote:I think kids under a certain age shouldn't be allowed on social media.   Particularly those under 13.

Exactly what I said.