大象传媒

The inquest into the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell came to an end last Friday. In what's thought to be the first ruling of its kind, the coroner said the images of self-harm and suicide she viewed "shouldn't have been available for a child to see" and that social media content contributed "more than minimally" to her death.

Emma Barnett spoke to the family鈥檚 lawyer Merry Varney on 大象传媒 Radio 4's Woman's Hour about the coroner鈥檚 ruling and the lessons from it. Merry also revealed just the impact working on the case had on her and why she thinks we all owe gratitude towards the Russell family for their bravery in speaking up.

A Pinterest spokesperson said: 鈥淥ur thoughts are with the Russell family. We鈥檝e listened very carefully to everything that the Coroner and the family have said during the inquest. Pinterest is committed to making ongoing improvements to help ensure that the platform is safe for everyone and the Coroner鈥檚 report will be considered with care.鈥�

For Instagram - a Meta spokesperson said: 鈥淥ur thoughts are with the Russell family and everyone who has been affected by this tragic death. We鈥檙e committed to ensuring that Instagram is a positive experience for everyone, particularly teenagers, and we will carefully consider the Coroner鈥檚 full report when he provides it. We鈥檒l continue our work with the world鈥檚 leading independent experts to help ensure that the changes we make offer the best possible protection and support for teens.鈥�

You can listen to Merry鈥檚 interview in full on 大象传媒 Sounds - it鈥檚 the episode from 4 October.

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