Molly Russell case

[Eggsandbeans]

The story of Molly Russell is in the news today, the girl who committed suicide after talking about her depression for some time over social media. In some cases she had contacted influencers and celebrities seeking help.

I imagine this case will probably contribute towards influencers being made more accountable for their actions. I’m surprised it’s not been mentioned on here yet but I think cases such as this and the forthcoming online safety bill may have ramifications for influencers, social media etc.

 

[Allmyownopinion]

I find this story so heartbreaking, yet also frustrating. The element of personal responsibility is slowly being eroded & rather than looking inward, why people feel this way, what families can do differently etc we just look to blame others; social media, celebs etc. of course there is so much wrong with SM & massive changes need to be made. But families need to support & guide their children more, the buck stops with you when it comes to what you’re kids view when they’re as young as Molly. My niece is 14. She can get dark moods when watching too much TikTok etc. So time on these apps are limited. She’s talked to every day about how she’s feeling & shown the dangers of SM. Her parents check her phone daily to safeguard about dodgy messages, watch out for bullying etc. This child, Molly, was allowed to be alone in her room for hours, days even, watching horrific content! Why did the parents never look at her phone, pop in, ask what she was doing! Take her out for dinner, have a phone detox! I understand the family wanting to pin blame to make sense of what happened. But I’d rather see their energy used to educate/encourage parent to be more hands on with teens & limit SM time. There’s a new advert encouraging parents talk more to teens & this would solve an awful lot, so much quicker, than fighting big tech.

 

[Eggsandbeans]

Yes, the whole case just amplified how fake it all is too, and superficial for eg the girl messaged influencers etc and never received a reply.

 

[Mattfoo]

There must be been a catalyst though. Were there family problems? Why wasn't she reaching out for help to friends and family?

 

[carriebooboo]

I find this story so heartbreaking, yet also frustrating. The element of personal responsibility is slowly being eroded & rather than looking inward, why people feel this way, what families can do differently etc we just look to blame others; social media, celebs etc. of course there is so much wrong with SM & massive changes need to be made. But families need to support & guide their children more, the buck stops with you when it comes to what you’re kids view when they’re as young as Molly. My niece is 14. She can get dark moods when watching too much TikTok etc. So time on these apps are limited. She’s talked to every day about how she’s feeling & shown the dangers of SM. Her parents check her phone daily to safeguard about dodgy messages, watch out for bullying etc. This child, Molly, was allowed to be alone in her room for hours, days even, watching horrific content! Why did the parents never look at her phone, pop in, ask what she was doing! Take her out for dinner, have a phone detox! I understand the family wanting to pin blame to make sense of what happened. But I’d rather see their energy used to educate/encourage parent to be more hands on with teens & limit SM time. There’s a new advert encouraging parents talk more to teens & this would solve an awful lot, so much quicker, than fighting big tech.

Well said. I used to burst a blood vessel reading a certain parenting site where posters would boast that they didn't check their 13-year-old's phones or laptops because they didn't want to violate their privacy. WTF?? It's called PARENTING.

 

[Margo_Channing]

The stuff that was found on her accounts doesn't just appear, she had to look for it, she clearly was unwell mentally!

 

[Blurp]

I wonder how much of the ire the parents are directing towards social media sites is to alleviate any buried guilt about leaving her to roam the internet unchecked for hours on end?

 

[Tireesix]

It's frustrated the hell out of me.

We were self harming and inflicting our own deaths before the internet.

Not going to blame the parents (i dont know the facts) but SM isn't the issue either, there are plenty of people around with scars etc to prove that.

The bigger issue is what is leading kids to feel this way in the first place but its the one thing that seems to be skipped over.

 

[Allmyownopinion]

It's frustrated the hell out of me.

We were self harming and inflicting our own deaths before the internet.

Not going to blame the parents (i dont know the facts) but SM isn't the issue either, there are plenty of people around with scars etc to prove that.

The bigger issue is what is leading kids to feel this way in the first place but its the one thing that seems to be skipped over.

So so, very sadly, true. There are going to be so many missed opportunities if this case concludes how I expect it to; social media found culpable, fined, statement released how they didn’t protect children. WE need to protect our children! Yes there’s horrors on SM that kids shouldn’t see, but that’s for PARENTS to restrict! There will always be troubled souls, children & teens too fragile for this world who struggle growing up & if we keep pinning blame on big corps we have less chance of helping/saving them because the help needs to be a lot closer to home, in schools & in families! Molly was failed by hands off parenting IMO & should have been kept a close eye on & been getting help from professionals. It blows my mind how they openly admit, with so little self awareness & a hell of a lot of arrogance, that she was fragile but left alone constantly with her clearly dark thoughts, without being offered any help by them!

 

[shadowcat5]

I wonder how much of the ire the parents are directing towards social media sites is to alleviate any buried guilt about leaving her to roam the internet unchecked for hours on end?

I commented yesterday but then deleted cause I wanted to make sure I was wording things correctly but yeah you're right and whilst I really don't want to kick her parents while their down, i'm not sure this is the hill they should be dying on.

It is truly heartbreaking what has happened and it is horrible that she had her whole life ahead of her and felt the need to end it. That said, you can't put the blame solely on social media. In the same way that the childhood obesity epidemic is not the food industry's responsibility fully either. There is something to be argued for parental responsibility which imo is a large portion of this. I hate to say it and I would love to blame big, bad silicon valley but I just don't think it is as simple as that.