I try to use Sunday posts to catch up on impt news happening in this space. In the case of Molly Russell, a 14 yr old from London who tragically died by suicide, this story is hopefully a wake up call.
I’ve combed thru a # of diff articles to share the below…which I hope is both head-turning & shows where we are, & need to go, in this space.
If you’re as tired as I am, of watching “Tech Leaders” testify in front of congress – w NO actions taken, you’ll find this encouraging: This case is the first time that a SM company has been adjudicated to be a cause of a child’s suicide.
In Molly’s case at an inquest, it was found that artificial-intelligence algorithms directed a continual stream of dark & hopeless content to her feed & in-box.
If you’ve followed here, you know how upset I get that these companies promote posts related to labels & disorders…& glorify victimhood. Well…6 months prior to her death, Molly reportedly shared, liked, or saved 16,300 pieces of content on Instagram, of which 2,100 of them were related to: suicide, self-harm, & depression, according to data revealed by Meta.
Her father, monitoring Molly’s email, was “shocked” to see such subject lines as “10 depression pins you might like” piling up in her in-box. We are glorifying labels!
At that inquest, Pinterest’s representative said the content (she was fed) was “not safe” when Molly engaged, adding that he “deeply regrets” the online content that she viewed. Meta’s rep also confessed several posts Molly had engaged w, would have violated Instagram’s policies, despite also claiming some were “safe.”
The coroner on this case, Andrew Walker concluded that these sites “affected her mental health in a negative way & contributed to her death in a more than minimal way.”
In the US Senate, “The Kids Online Safety Act” would require SM platforms to make safety — not profit — the default.” Despite support from both sides of the aisle & unanimous approval in the Senate Commerce Committee, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not brought the bill to the floor.
Please write your senators – this MUST be brought to the floor & passed.
