Social media firms face ban over suicide images
Health secretary warns online giants must ‘purge’ disturbing material or face new legislation or higher taxes
Social media firms could be banned if they fail to remove harmful online content, the health secretary has suggested.
Matt Hancock has written to social media bosses at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, Google and Apple warning them to “purge” material promoting self-harm and suicide to ensure they do not breach the policies of internet providers.
It comes just days after the father of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life in 2017 after viewing disturbing content online, said photo-sharing platform Instagram had “helped” kill his daughter.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The girl was found dead in her bedroom after showing “no obvious signs” of severe mental health issues, only for the family to later discover she had been viewing material on social media linked to anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide.
“Suicide is now the leading cause of death for young people under 20 and levels of self-harm are rising among teenage girls in particular,” Hancock said.
Speaking to the BBC, Ian Russell criticised tech companies for refusing to give him access to his daughter’s accounts so that he could see the content she was looking at in the hours before her death.
He also called for the establishment of an independent regulator to ensure that “distressing content can be removed from social media and online within 24 hours”.
The Sunday Times reports that since the interview aired, many more families have come out to accuse technology giants of abetting their children’s suicides.
Papyrus, a charity that works to prevent youth suicide, said it has been contacted by around thirty families in the past week who believe social media had a part to play in their children's suicides.
The Daily Mail reports that 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 paper also claims that the website, which uses algorithms to drive content, sent a personalised email to Russell containing graphic images a month after she died.
Citing the youngster's death, Hancock, the first MP to have his own dedicated app, said in his letter: “It is appalling how easy it still is to access this content online and I am in no doubt about the harm this material can cause, especially for young people. It is time for internet and social media providers to step up and purge this content once and for all.”
He said he wanted to work with internet and social media providers but also threatened to introduce new legislation “where needed” or impose extra taxes on websites that failed to crack down on disturbing content.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 2, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
States sue TikTok over children's mental health
Speed Read The lawsuit was filed by 13 states and Washington, D.C.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The 'loyalty testers' who can check a partner's fidelity
Under The Radar The history of 'honey-trapping goes back a long way'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Elon Musk's X blinks in standoff with Brazil
Speed Read Brazil may allow X to resume operations in the country, as Musk's company agrees to comply with court demand
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Instagram rolls out teen accounts with new limits
Speed Read After facing pushback over child safety, Meta announced that all users under 18 will have their Instagram accounts modified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Threads turns one: where does the Twitter rival stand?
In the Spotlight Although Threads is reporting 175 million active monthly users, it has failed to eclipse X as a meaningful cultural force
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
The growing dystopian AI influencer economy
In the Spotlight AI-generated digital personas are giving human influencers a run for their money
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Social media could come with a warning label
Talking Points Do Facebook and TikTok need the notifications that come on cigarettes?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
What happens if TikTok is banned?
Today's Big Question Many are fearful that TikTok's demise could decimate the content creator community
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published