Heartbroken dad claims Instagram ‘helped to kill his 14-year-old daughter’ who took her own life after viewing suicide posts
Devastated Ian Russell told how 14-year-old Molly died after viewing scores of social media images glorifying self-harm and suicide
THE grieving dad of a schoolgirl who took her life has accused Instagram of "helping" kill her.
Heartbroken Ian Russell told how 14-year-old Molly died after viewing scores of images glorifying self-harm and suicide.
She was found dead just hours after handing in her homework - and packing a schoolbag for the next day.
Her devastating suicide note wrote: "I'm sorry. I did this because of me."
Molly - who went to Hatch End High School in Harrow, Middlesex - had started viewing the disturbing posts without her family's knowledge.
Ian told the BBC: "I have no doubt that Instagram helped kill my daughter. She had so much to offer and that's gone"
"She seemed to be a very ordinary teenager. She was future-looking. She was enthusiastic.
'I have no doubt that Instagram helped kill my daughter'
"She handed her homework in that night. She packed her bags and was preparing to go to school the next day and then when we woke up the next morning, she was dead."
There were accounts from people who were depressed or self-harming or suicidal.
One haunting image shows a blindfolded girl hugging a teddy bear, captioned "This world is so cruel, and I don't wanna to see it any more."
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Mr Russell - who directed the BBC coverage of the Queen's 90th birthday service - said Molly had access to "quite a lot of content" that sparked concern.
He said: "Quite a lot of that content was quite positive. Perhaps groups of people who were trying to help each other out, find ways to remain positive to stop self-harming.
"But some of that content is shocking in that it encourages self-harm, it links self-harm to suicide and I have no doubt that Instagram helped kill my daughter.
"The posts on those sites are so often black and white, they're sort of fatalistic. [They say] there's no hope, join our club, you're depressed, I'm depressed, there's lots of us, come inside this virtual club."