- Families and survivors of pro-suicide forum seek answers from Ofcom boss over lack of enforcement action against it as regulator makes U-turn
- Substance promoted by the site responsible for at least 133 deaths amidst dozens of warnings to Government and Ofcom from coroners
- Molly Rose Foundation aware of further deaths and warns further lack of action will put lives at risk
Ofcom has said it will progress its investigation into a pro-suicide forum after bereaved families and survivors said they were “dismayed and appalled” by Ofcom’s original decision not to pursue enforcement action against the nihilistic site.
Writing to Ofcom CEO Melanie Dawes, 20 bereaved family members and a survivor of the forum said the original decision was “inexplicable” and would mean further vulnerable lives are put at risk.
It came following a recent report by Molly Rose Foundation and Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms which found 65 warnings have been made to Government about the site and a substance it promotes as a suicide method.
The substance has been linked to at least 133 deaths and Ofcom itself has received at least six warnings from coroners about suicide forums being linked to deaths.
Last month Ofcom stated it was monitoring the forum’s voluntary assurances that it would geo-block UK users after a six month investigation under the Online Safety Act, and suggested these measures would mean Ofcom stops short of announcing enforcement action.
In spite of the geo-block, Molly Rose Foundation is aware that the site remains actively used by vulnerable adults. It has also been contacted by families over recent weeks and understands there have been further suspected deaths since these voluntary measures were introduced
Campaigners called on Ofcom to urgently reverse course and to investigate several suspected breaches of the Online Safety Act. They also want Ofcom to apply to the UK courts to block the site permanently, with the forum having previously used voluntary geo-blocking when facing scrutiny in other jurisdictions only to return when those investigations have closed.
In the letter to Melanie Dawes, the families and survivor said: “We have felt consistently let down by Ofcom’s failure to grasp the evident urgency of protecting vulnerable children and adults from the horrors of this site and the appalling criminality that it promotes.
“Ofcom’s decision, which many of us first heard about through news reports, flies in the face of the continuing availability of the forum and the harm that it continues to cause.
“That Ofcom now continues to be unwilling or unable to grasp the severity and urgency of blocking this site and take steps to halt its operations is as bewildering as it is re-traumatising. It breaks our hearts that other families are and will continue to experience the grief and despair that each of us has experienced while the regulator chooses to stand back in the face of inherently preventable harm.”
Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “If this is the beginning of a U-turn, we welcome this. However, there are serious questions to answer about why Ofcom has delayed taking action on multiple breaches of the law and why it takes bereaved families to have forced the regulator’s hand.
“We would also note that Ofcom were made aware that UK users were still accessing the forum several weeks ago. It is unclear why this information wasn’t acted on at the time.”
The bereaved families and survivor are calling for a public inquiry into the State’s response to the site and poison following multiple missed opportunities to act to save lives.
The public can back the campaign for a public inquiry here.
If you’re struggling just text MRF to 85258 so you can speak to a trained volunteer from Shout, the UK’s Crisis Text Line service.
