It’s the first time in the UK: Meta, owned by Instagram and Facebook, and Pinterest have been found partially responsible for the suicide of a 14-year-old girl in 2017. After several years of fighting, Ian Russel, Molly’s father Russell. , won his case on September 30: Cause-of-death investigators found that “negative effects of online content” “contributed” to Molly’s death.
The lead investigator reported at the hearing that “it is likely that the content viewed by Molly, who already suffered from a depressive illness and was vulnerable due to her age, adversely affected her negative mental health and contributed significantly to her death.”
Some of this content praised acts of self-harm committed by young people. Other content was meant to isolate you and discourage any discussion with people who might have helped you.
According to the investigation, Molly has seen 138 videos about suicide or mutilation. She questions the algorithms of the platforms that offer increasingly targeted content, enclosing users in information bubbles, with the aim of distributing them as much advertising as possible.
A total of 34 Instagram accounts recommended to Molly were “related to sadness or depression.” Molly even got an email from Pinterest recommending “10 Depressing Content You Might Like.” For attorney Oliver Sanders, who represents the Russell family, “Instagram literally gave Molly ideas.”
Responsibility of the platforms
Molly’s father had trouble accessing his daughter’s social media accounts and content. WhatsApp had deleted Molly’s account and there was a long legal battle to gain access to content viewed on Instagram.
During the hearing, the platforms were invited to appear. Elizabeth Lagone, Meta’s head of health and wellness policy, said posts described as “encouraging” suicide or self-harm were “safe” but acknowledged that several posts filed in court allegedly violated Instagram’s policies. Pinterest operations manager Jud Hoffman admitted the suit was “unsafe” when Molly was wearing it, saying he “deeply regrets” some of the content the teen viewed.
For his part, Molly’s father spoke directly to Meta: “It’s time to protect our young people. It’s time for the toxic culture that is at the heart of social media to change and they can no longer direct their profits at the expense of the suffering of young people.”
Already in 2018, following this case, Pinterest worked on a policy to combat dangerous posts and offer help when a person conducts research related to suicide.
Source: BFM TV
