A Petition on Change.org Named ‘Caroline’s Law’ Has Close to 28K Signatures

From Women's Health

• Following the tragic death of TV presenter Caroline Flack this weekend, an online petition has been set up to make it 'illegal' to 'abuse' others online

• Hosted on Change.org, the petition currently has close to 28,000 signatories

• The petition's creator says he is: 'Asking social media companies to help me bring this change'

As the country reels from the news of Caroline Flack's untimely death this weekend, a petition calling for tighter social media regulation is gaining serious traction.

If you need to talk to someone about suicidal thoughts or ideation, call the Samaritans, on 116 123

The petition, dubbed 'Caroline's Law,' calls for social platforms to make it 'illegal' for trolls to 'abuse' people online.

'Following the death of Caroline Flack and so many others who have suffered at the hands of trolls online, I am inspired to encourage a real change so that this doesn’t have to happen anymore,' wrote Raurie Williams, the man who created the petition.

He also asked that companies make it a requirement to give ID when creating a social media profile, so that abusive behaviour can be easily traced back to the perpetrator.

Flack reportedly took her own life at her home in London, on Saturday 15th February. Multiple sources have said that her mental health was extremely poor due to the pending court case against her, for the alleged assault of boyfriend, professional tennis player-turned-model Lewis Burton, in December 2019.

While Burton requested to not press charges, the case went ahead. Flack's management explicitly called out the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for this, following her death.

Flack spoke out about problems pertaining to her mental health in October, via her Instagram account. Alongside a black and white image of herself, she posted a caption that read:

'I wanted to write something about mental health day last week but I was knee deep in work. And some days it’s hard to write your feelings of your not in the right place. The last few weeks I’ve been in a really weird place... I find it hard to talk about it .. I guess it’s anxiety and pressure of life ... and when I actually reached out to someone they said I was draining.

'I feel like this is why some people keep their emotions to themselves. I certainly hate talking about my feelings. And being a burden is my biggest fear....'

If you or anyone you know is suffering with suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self harm find support and resources at samaritans.com or contact them on 116 123

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