Father of Molly Russell says ‘we shouldn’t bury our heads’ about harmful content

The father of Molly Russell says he thinks every parent is concerned about what their teenagers are looking at on online, adding: “We all need to be having a conversation, we shouldn’t bury our heads.”

The 14-year-old schoolgirl, from Harrow, London, took her own life in November 2017 after experiencing depression having viewed harmful online content.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Thursday, her father Ian Russell spoke about the importance of governments “stepping up to change things”, and parents speaking to their children about online safety.

He said: “I don’t think there’s any need for panic. I can understand the outcry of parental concern, but there isn’t any need for panic, because there are things that can be done, and can be done quickly.

“We need governments to step up to change things. We need people to start having conversations. That’s the biggest thing.”

He added: “It shouldn’t be on the parents’ shoulders, but we do need to start talking – parents to kids, kids to parents, parent to parent.

“We all need to be having a conversation, we shouldn’t bury our heads.”

Since his daughter’s death eight years ago, Mr Russell has campaigned for improved online safety and established the Molly Rose Foundation in her memory.

He was made an MBE in the new year honours in 2024 for services to child safety online.

Upcoming documentary Molly vs THE MACHINES will explore what happened to the teenager in the lead-up to her death, and will follow her father’s subsequent campaign for safer online spaces, as well as the economic and social impact of AI and big tech on modern life.

Speaking about social media, Mr Russell said: “The platforms still have harmful business models. They still make lame excuses.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if somewhere surrounding the release of (the documentary) they come out with another safety measure, which is what they usually do when they’re challenged.”

He added: “I don’t think a blanket (social media) ban is the best way to safety.

“I think it takes far longer than people think. I think kids are so clever they find a way around it. They’ll hack their way around it, or they’ll migrate to other platforms which aren’t regulated, and then they’ll be in an unregulated digital space.

“I think that needs to be investigated, and I think the politicians need to live up to their words.”

A Meta spokesperson previously said: “Our thoughts remain with Molly’s friends and family. We know parents and teens want a safe experience online, which is why we’ve spent over a decade working with UK experts, parents, and charities to build protections for teens into our platforms.

“This includes defaulting all teens under 18 into private accounts, restricting who can message them and the content they see, while giving parents the option to supervise their teen’s account.”

Molly vs THE MACHINES was made in close collaboration with Molly’s family and friends and includes interviews with whistleblowers and reconstructions of moments from the inquest into her death.

The documentary will be available to watch in UK cinemas from Sunday March 1, and will air on Channel 4 on Thursday March 5.