Court warned of 'distressing' videos as evidence in Molly Russell inquest is played
A coroner issued the “greatest" warning to an inquest into the death of schoolgirl Molly Russell, as the court was shown videos of “the most distressing nature” the teenager had liked or saved on social media.
Molly, from Harrow, north-west London, ended her life in November 2017, prompting her family to campaign for better internet safety.
The teenager had been exposed to pictures and videos featuring suicide, drugs, alcohol, depression and self-harm while on social media.
Coroner Andrew Walker told the inquest the 17 clips appeared to “glamorise harm to young people” and told those present to leave if they were likely to be affected by the material.
He told the court, they had considered editing the videos prior to playing them because of how distressing they were.
But a decision was made to show them with the coroner stating: "Molly had no such choice, so we would in effect be editing the footage for adult viewing when it was available in an unedited form for a child."
Molly’s family decided to stay in the courtroom as the videos were played, but the coroner elected to take a 15 minute break in proceedings afterwards.
The Head of health and well-being for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, Elizabeth Lagone, was in court to give evidence.
She defended the media giant saying saying suicide and self-harm material could have been posted by a user as a "cry for help".
She went on to say it was important to "consider the broad and unbelievable harm that can be done by silencing (a poster’s) struggles".
Yesterday Pinterest’s head of community operations, Judson Hoffman apologised as he admitted the platform had not been safe when Molly used it.
He said he "deeply regrets" the content she had viewed, admitting it was material he would "not show to my children".
The inquest continues on Monday.
Help & support
Samaritans provides round the clock support for people when they need it most. You can call them 24 hours a day on 116 123. They also have tips if you're concerned about someone you know, and advice if you're struggling yourself.
Young people who need support or have any concerns about what they have seen or heard during the inquest can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or via www.childline.org.uk.
Adults concerned about a child or who needs advice about supporting a young person can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or via help@nspcc.org.uk.
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