HARM IS STILL THERE

Molly's father accuses social media firms of broken promises | Youngsters' lives are 'being put at risk' | 'Vast amount of dangerous content not being removed'

- ASHLEY COWBURN

THE heartbroken dad of Molly Russell, who took her own life aged 14 in 2017 after seeing harmful material online, says tech firms are still not doing anywhere near enough to protect children.

Ian Russell has condemned some social media giants after a report suggested a huge amount of potentially damaging content relating to suicide and self-harm is not being detected and removed.

The analysis was done by the Molly Rose Foundation, which was set up in Molly's memory to help prevent youngsters from killing themselves.

Ian said: "Almost seven years after Molly died, it's shocking to see most major tech companies continue to sit on their hands and choose inaction over saving young lives."

The dad, who chairs the foundation, told the Mirror: "Over the years we've grown used to hearing platforms say, 'We take this very seriously... the safety of our users is paramount.

"That sounds comforting but there's no real evidence anything has really changed."