Molly Russell’s father warns of loopholes leaving children exposed to self-harm content

Molly Russell’s father has warned that children could still be exposed to self-harm and suicide content because of potential loopholes in the Government’s proposed online safety legislation.

Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter took her own life after being bombarded with such content, said the Government’s decision to ditch clauses protecting adults against legal but harmful material could open up loopholes in the law.

He fears that allowing legal but harmful content for adults on sites means there is a risk children would see it.

“There are always ways around firewalls,” he said. “We have allowed content that hitherto would not have been allowed on the adults’ part of sites and that’s where children might access it.”

He cited as an example posts like “who would love a suicide girl?” which were sent hundreds if not thousands of times to his daughter - which though legal but harmful in itself, cumulatively contributed to her decision to take her life.

Mr Russell said he was “disappointed” by the decision to abandon curbs on legal but harmful content. The move followed claims by free speech campaigners that “woke” social media firms would have too much power to censor controversial but legal content.

“I don’t see how you can see the removal of a whole clause as anything other than a watering down,” said Mr Russell. “It’s very hard to understand that something that was important as recently as July … why that suddenly can’t be there.”

It would also mean that vulnerable adults in their 20s and early 30s could be at risk, as suicide was the biggest killer of under-35s, he added.

However, Mr Russell and his foundation have accepted the removal of the measures if the change means the Online Safety Bill can complete its House of Commons stages and go to the House of Lords by Christmas.

There are fears any further delays in the bill could mean it runs out of time. Failure to pass the legislation by the end of the current parliamentary session next spring would mean the bill falls, as it cannot be reintroduced again.

On Tuesday, free speech critics of the bill signalled that they would back it after the Government’s decision to ditch the proposed regulations on legal but harmful content.

Kemi Badenoch, the International Trade Secretary, has said the updated bill "strikes the right balance" between protecting children and free speech.

She said on Twitter:

David Davis, the former cabinet minister and a prominent critic, said he was glad the Government had removed legal but harmful provisions.

However, he said he still has other "serious worries" about the threat to privacy and freedom of expression that could "undermine end-to-end encryption".

Michelle Donelan, the Culture Secretary, maintained that “nothing is getting watered down or taken out when it comes to children".

She added: "The legal but harmful aspect was pertaining to adults. Content that is harmful or could hurt children that is not illegal, so is legal, will still be removed under this version of the bill. So the content that Molly Russell saw will not be allowed as a result of this bill.”