Molly Russell’s father told an inquiry that he believes social media played a significant role in his daughter’s murder.
Ian Russell stated that safety measures, such as speed restrictions on roadways, are recognized in the offline world but “not implemented in sufficient numbers in the online world.”
Molly, from Harrow in north-west London, passed away in 2017 after viewing suicide and self-harm-related content.
The inquest also heard that Molly attempted to solicit assistance from celebrities.
Mr. Russell stated that his daughter reached out for assistance on Twitter to individuals with thousands or millions of followers, who would not necessarily notice a tweet from a user like Molly.
He continued, “She was shouting into the void.”
The North London Coroner’s Court investigated Molly’s use of an anonymous Twitter account to communicate with influencers and entertainment icons.
One, sent to American actress Lili Reinhart and read in court, stated: “I can’t handle it any longer. I must reach out to someone, I can’t take it anymore.”
Mr. Russell, who previously stated before the inquiry that he was concerned that “dark, gruesome, and destructive information” was easily accessible to youngsters online, questioned how Molly knew “how to get into this state.”
Mr. Russell stated that he found it “difficult to imagine” that some of the most influential worldwide corporations could not find a means to prevent such content from reaching vulnerable individuals.
When asked about his daughter’s access to “harmless” content on social media platforms, such as posts about fashion and pop music, Mr. Russell told the coroner that “digital technology can be brilliant,” but the distinction between “harmless” and “harmful” content “would be very much blurred” for his daughter.
Before concluding his testimony, he stated that his daughter would have “conflated” harmful and “normal” online stuff.
Pinterest’s head of global operations, Judson Hoffman, stated during the inquiry that the firm was “here to learn and assist with this process.”
Coroner Andrew Walker inquired if the company distinguished between minors and adults when creating accounts for those above the age of 13.
Mr. Hoffman responded, “No, we do not”
Oliver Sanders KC, the attorney for the Russell family, questioned Mr. Hoffman if the business plan of Pinterest was to encourage users to spend more time on the platform so that advertisers would have more time to display their items.
Mr. Hoffman said: “That is possible. Pinterest, during my time there, has taken a slightly different approach; time spent on the site is not time wasted, but time well spent.”
He said that it was “first and foremost for the user and secondarily for the advertising.”
