Bereaved families call for inquiry into UK failure to act on pro-suicide forum

Bereaved families and survivors of a pro-suicide forum have called for a public inquiry into the government’s failure to prevent harm linked to the online platform. The calls came as a report found that coroners had raised concerns regarding suicide forums at least 65 times to three government departments since 2019. They also highlighted that a substance promoted as a suicide method on such platforms has been linked to at least 133 deaths in the UK, with the youngest known victim just 13 years old. The analysis, published by the Molly Rose Foundation – established after the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell in November 2017 – is the result of systematic review of reports to prevent future deaths issued by coroners. According to their report, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology all failed to act on warnings from coroners about the dangers of pro-suicide forums. In a letter addressed to the prime minister, the group Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms said that their loved ones were “let down by a state that was too slow to respond to the threats, which despite multiple warnings has failed to act to save lives and prevent harm”. The letter stated: “This series of failings requires a statutory response, not just to understand why our loved ones died but also to prevent more lives being lost in a similar way. “What is important now is not blame but change that will mean more vulnerable young people are not put at risk of entirely preventable harm.” Signatories of the letter include the family of Aimee Walton, who died after access to pro-suicide content online. The foundation is calling for the public inquiry to look specifically at the Home Office’s failure to strengthen regulation of the substance, and Ofcom for not taking the necessary steps to prevent the threat of the pro-suicide forum. Andy Burrows, the chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said the report “paints clear how repeated failures of the state to protect its vulnerable citizens mean that the nihilistic potential of a suicide forum has cost countless lives”. He added: “It is inexplicable that Ofcom has left the fate of a forum that exists to groom and coerce others to end their lives in its own hands rather than take swift and decisive action to legally shut it down in the UK. “Nothing less than a public inquiry is now needed to learn the countless lessons and act on them to save lives.” Calls for the inquiry are supported by Leigh Day, a law firm representing seven bereaved clients. A government spokesperson said: “Suicide devastates families and we are unequivocal about the responsibilities online services have to keep people safe on their platforms. “Under the Online Safety Act, services must take action to prevent users from accessing illegal suicide and self-harm content and ensure children are protected from harmful content that promotes it. “The substance in question is closely monitored and is reportable under the Poisons Act, meaning retailers must alert authorities if they suspect it is being bought to cause harm. We will continue to keep dangerous substances under review to ensure the right safeguards are in place.” An Ofcom spokesperson said: “In response to our enforcement action, the online suicide forum put in place a geoblock to restrict access by people with UK IP addresses. “Services that choose to block access by people in the UK must not encourage or promote ways to avoid these restrictions. This forum remains on Ofcom’s watchlist and our investigation remains open while we check that the block is maintained.” In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org