- Public concerned about extreme harms driven by ‘fluid ideologies’, including extreme violence and grooming for self-harm and suicide
- Molly Rose Foundation warns fluid ideologies are at the frontline of suicide and self-harm risks to children online
- Overwhelming majority back a new Online Safety Act, and say Government and Ofcom aren’t doing enough
Molly Rose Foundation today urges the Prime Minister to commit to decisive action to address online harms in the wake of the Southport conviction and releases new polling showing this would attract strong public support.
It comes as the charity warns that the ‘fluid ideologies’ highlighted in the case are driving disturbing new online threats, including children being groomed by online groups for the purposes of suicide and self-harm – and these ideologies are now on the leading edge of suicide and self-harm risks to children.
Fluid ideologies are where no clear ideology is identified in those committing or coercing others into violent or sadistic acts.
The polling conducted by YouGov of over 2,000 adults found large public concern about online harm driven by fluid ideologies, such as violence and self-harm grooming.
Almost nine in ten (87%) adults are concerned about online content featuring extreme violence. 91% are concerned about the online grooming of children leading to self-harm and suicide acts.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, viewed violent videos online in the moments before murdering three children in Southport and pleas to social media companies to remove the content have fallen on deaf ears.
And the recent case of Cameron Finnegan shows the broader threat posed by radicalised, violent young people.
Finnegan, 19, was part of a group first warned about by the FBI in 2023 where a melting pot of fluid ideologies come together and lead to children being targeted for a range of horrific acts, including self-harm, suicide and child sexual abuse.
He was jailed for an array of offences including child sexual abuse and encouraging suicide.
A stark warning about these groups was also issued by Europol last month, following previous warnings from the FBI and Canadian police. Europol said that members use extortion demands for; “the production of sexually explicit imagery, the commission of acts of violence against other individuals and animals, self-harm, and even suicide attempts and suicide”.
It shows children are being radicalised online to become perpetrators and are being groomed by members of these groups into violent or self-harm acts.
The polling shows the public are now demanding action from the Prime Minister:
- An overwhelming majority of parents (85%) would support a new Online Safety Act that strengthens online safety for children
- 83% of parents would support Keir Starmer personally promising that children will be better protected during his premiership
- Just nine percent of parents think Ofcom are doing enough to protect the online safety of children and eight percent think Government are. Six percent think social media platforms are doing enough.
It comes as Ofcom’s illegal code of practice which comes into force later this month contains no specific measures to tackle suicide and self-harm, despite MRF having first flagged the risks of fluid ideology groups in February 2024.
Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “Online threats propelled by fluid ideologies have been thrust into the spotlight after the Southport killings and are driving deeply disturbing new trends, including children being groomed by online groups into acts of self-harm and even suicide.
“Risks driven by fluid ideologies are now at the leading edge of the online suicide and self-harm threat and urgent action is required. In the face of such appalling risks, it beggars belief that Ofcom has failed to introduce any targeted measures to address suicide and self-harm offences.
“The Prime Minister must now intervene with tough legislation that stops more inherently preventable tragedies and that treats this threat with the urgency it deserves.”
Molly Rose Foundation is calling on the Government to commit to a three-step plan to fix the Act and ensure it delivers appropriate protection:
- Immediately commit to a new Act that can strengthen and build on the current regime, to be introduced in 2026.
- Publish a white paper this spring to ensure fresh legislation is decisive and effective.
- Use current legislation, such as the Data Act, to immediately plug gaps in the Act and apply immediate improvements to how the Act is functioning.
Ian Russell, Chair of Molly Rose Foundation, recently wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to commit to a new Online Safety Act that focusses on the conduct of tech companies and embeds an overarching Duty of Care on platforms to protect children.
He warned Sir Keir Starmer that the UK was going backwards on online safety and warned further preventable would be happening on his watch.
It comes as the polling shows by a nine to one margin, UK adults also back policies that prioritise children’s safety online, even if it means tech companies investing significantly less in the UK, suggesting they want Government to hold firm and not be captured by Big Tech lobbying.
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.
