Social media DID play a part in Molly's death

 Inquest ruling will send shockwaves round Silicon Valley'

- Paul Jeeves 

THE devastated father of 14-year-old Molly Russell said yesterday she would still be alive had she not engaged with the "demented trail of life-sucking" content on social media.

Molly viewed thousands of images of self-harm and suicide on Instagram and Pinterest before she took her own life in November 2017. Yesterday, senior coroner Andrew Walker said the vile deluge of material the schoolgirl saw on sites owned by giants "should have Facebook Meta not been available for a child to see".

Mr Walker insisted: "It would not be safe to leave suicide as a conclusion." Addressing North London Court, he added: "She died from an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content." Coroner's Molly's father Ian Russell, 59, insisted there must now be changes to "the toxic corporate culture at the heart of the world's biggest social media platform".

The Prince of Wales spoke up in support of Molly's family after the hearing. He said: "No parent should ever have to endure what Ian Russell and his family have been through.