Il padre di un adolescente la cui morte è stata collegata ai social media ha “perso la fiducia” in Ofcom
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/15/molly-russell-family-social-media-ofcom
di yrro
Il padre di un adolescente la cui morte è stata collegata ai social media ha “perso la fiducia” in Ofcom
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/15/molly-russell-family-social-media-ofcom
di yrro
7 commenti
Obviously a massive shame what happened to his daughter and I’d not wish that on anybody in her or his position, but why is this on Ofcom?
He’s her dad, he’s letting her use social media and not noticing that it’s wrecking her mental health
What exactly are Ofcom meant to do? What exactly does the Online Safety Act do?
Obviously sorry for his loss but the OSA is not the solution and his grief should not shape logical legislation. Phone operating system companies could do more and avoid the censorship and poor age verification tools we are seeing at the moment
The problem is the act and the approach it takes to online safety. Ofcom have an impossible job trying to make it work.
Would be better if it were scrapped and time and effort was made making sure child safety tech was shipped on every route and device.
Ofcom needs to stop faffing about and finally bare its teeth, ideally while marching in step with a proper EU-wide crackdown. The big social-media titans have been allowed to swan around like untouchable deities, even as their algorithms sling a relentless torrent of psyche-warping, youth-corroding sludge at kids (x-crement and tiktok being side eyed by an increasing number as the worst offenders). It is a carnival of corruption, and they do not even blush.
And let us not kid ourselves: business will never care about anyone’s health or wellbeing unless the law forces them to, preferably with a Damoclean sword hanging so low it tickles their scalp, and consequences that arrive fast, hard and expensive when they slip.
Let’s be honest here, harsh as it might sound, with things like this you need to deal with facts, not feelings.
This must be dreadful for her father, but he shouldn’t be having a say on it *because* it is so emotionally difficult for him. It’s natural for him to feel that way, so therefore he shouldn’t be influencing the law.
The article doesn’t mention what type of content she was viewing, or why it led her to suicide. A fairly important factor and its omission should raise suspicion in anyone reading the article who actually cares about teenage (or any age) suicide rather than just jumping on the “lets hate social media” bandwagon.
Fact is, teen suicide has seen an overall downward trend since the early 1990s, with a bit of an uptick around Covid which I suppose makes sense.
I would also strongly argue that if you’re going to kill yourself over something on social media, you were at a very very high (almost certain) risk of suicide (or suicide attempt) regardless.
I will say this now, social media can easily be a very very dangerous place to be, anyone can be anyone else and you have no clue apart from their kind words of silver, you may think you can trust someone you spent the last few months talking to, but you are potentially one of many being fooled.
There’s go to it, there’s bad to it and even the evil that lies here.
BUT there’s good parents and then there’s shit parents and for some unknown reason we are too scared to be blunt.
Ian Russell allowed his 14 year old daughter to go online and to view anything she so desired, he didn’t take the steps needed to safeguard his child, much like if I allowed mine to go outside and play on the motorway who is at fault for that?
Sorry it happens but pro active parenting is the start and end of it.
Yes we should have rules on social media but it does not take the place of active parenting.
Same with teachers at schools, they are not parents or babysitters, they are there to teach and instil information but again that’s not to say the parents cannot do some themselves.
Again ofcom deals with TV but who controls the TV at home, the parents.
Active parenting is a big part of the solution but unfortunately not all parents are active in there child’s upbringing, this will happen more and more because of the society we live in.