Father of teen who died condemns rushed social media restrictions

Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly died at age 14 after encountering harmful material online, said he is "dismayed" by reports that the government will soon ban some social-media platforms for children. He told BBC presenter Laura Kuenssberg that the upcoming announcement appears to have been accelerated for political motives, describing the move as "deplorable."

The Labour government is expected to unveil a crackdown on children’s access to social media next week, with options ranging from a blanket ban on under-16s – similar to a measure in Australia – to selective restrictions on platforms deemed "high-risk."

A Downing Street spokesperson said a thorough consultation had been carried out and that the prime minister has made clear that the current situation is insufficient to protect children. The spokesperson added that further steps will be outlined in due course.

Russell, who has campaigned for stronger online safeguards since his daughter's death, argued that existing laws should be enforced more robustly rather than introducing bans. He said, "Early last year, father to father, I met with him briefly and he was very concerned – and he promised me he would look into effective solutions to deal with this problem. But as we sit here on the verge of this announcement, it seems that he's not kept either of those promises."

He also cited research from his organisation, the Molly Rose Foundation, indicating that 47% of girls and about a third of 13-17-year-olds reported seeing high-risk suicide, self-harm or eating-disorder content in a week. A poll of 1,825 children showed a slight decline in exposure to harmful material since the Online Safety Act took effect, from 37% to 34%.

The Online Safety Act, passed in 2023, requires social-media companies to protect children from illegal or harmful content, with enforcement overseen by regulator Ofcom. Ofcom said it has introduced age checks, grooming protections and fines totaling £5 million, but acknowledged that more work is needed. An Ofcom spokesperson said, "We share Ian's concerns that tech firms have not done enough to reassure parents that they are putting children's safety first. Companies need to go much further, including taking swift action to make their feeds safer for children."