Instagram vows to extend self-harm ban to drawings and cartoons after Molly Russell suicide
INSTAGRAM has said it will extend its self-harm ban to drawings and cartoons following the suicide of 14-year-old Molly Russell.
It comes as Molly's dad today said she had entered a "dark rabbit hole of depressive suicidal content" after viewing graphic images on Instagram.
Molly, from Harrow, was 14 when she killed herself in 2017 after viewing self-harm images on Instagram and other sites.
After her death, Molly's family discovered she had been "suggested" disturbing posts on Instagram and Pinterest about anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide.
Dad Ian accused Instagram of "helping" to kill her.
The Facebook-owned app vowed to ban graphic self-harm snaps from its site in February.
Its latest promise covers explicit drawings, cartoons and memes about suicide, along with any other method "promoting" self-harm.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri told BBC News: "It will take time to fully implement...but it's not going to be the last step we take."
Mr Russell described Instagram's new pledge as "sincere" but said it needed to act more swiftly.
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others... You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,
- Mind, , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus,, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, , 116 123
- Movember,
Speaking to today Mr Russell said: "I think Molly probably found herself becoming depressed.
"She was always very self-sufficient and liked to find her own answers. I think she looked towards the internet to give her support and help.
"She may well have received support and help, but what she also found was a dark, bleak world of content that accelerated her towards more such content."
Mr Russell claimed the algorithms used by some online platforms "push similar content towards you" based on what you have been previously looking at.
He said: "I think Molly entered that dark rabbit hole of depressive suicidal content.
"Some were as simple as little cartoons - a black and white pencil drawing of a girl that said 'Who would love a suicidal girl?'
"Some were much more graphic and shocking."
He said he was "really pleased" Instagram was taking a further step to remove harmful posts.
But he added: "It would be great if they could find a way to take down 10 times the number of posts and really reduce the potentially harmful content that is on their platform.
"This is serious. I honestly believe that by doing so they will save young lives and stop other youngsters ending up like Molly did."
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Instagram said it had removed double the amount of material related to self-harm and suicide since the start of this year.
Between April and June 2019, it said it removed 834,000 pieces of content, 77 per cent of which had not been reported by users.
Instagram chief Mr Mosseri said: "Nothing is more important to me than the safety of the people who use Instagram.
"We aim to strike the difficult balance between allowing people to share their mental health experiences - which can be important for recovery - while also protecting others from being exposed to potentially harmful content."
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or visit ’s website.
