Coroner links girl's death to TikTok content as Ofcom faces calls to act

The death of a 14-year-old girl who viewed content related to suicide on TikTok has led to renewed calls for Ofcom to crack down on "toxic" social media feeds.

Adriana Retyte, a pupil at Langley School in Norfolk, died in May. At her inquest last week, the Norfolk area coroner, Johanna Thompson, said Adriana had viewed a number of videos and images related to suicide on TikTok in the week before her death, and that her access to the material "may have played a significant part" in what happened.

The coroner said there was "no way of knowing" why Adriana acted as she did, but that it was clear she may have been influenced by "the negative effects of her having viewed online content". She is preparing a report on preventing future deaths, which will be sent to bodies including Ofcom.

TikTok responds

TikTok said its "deepest sympathies are with the family at this incredibly difficult time". It said it enforced "strict rules against any content that promotes self-harm" and used advanced technology to find and remove content that broke its guidelines. It is understood the company had not yet investigated what happened on Adriana's account.

Ofcom opened a separate investigation in June into whether TikTok was failing in its legal duty to protect children from harmful content.

"Trust is simply not there"

The case came as Melanie Dawes, Ofcom's chief executive, told MPs that large social media companies did not have a "safety culture". She said they were "very slow to acknowledge" the risks, including "the way the algorithms feed suicide and self-harm material", and that "trust they can clean up their own services is simply not there".

The Molly Rose Foundation, set up after the death of Molly Russell, another 14-year-old, in 2017, called Adriana's death "devastating". It is calling on Ofcom to investigate TikTok's algorithm, and accused the regulator of seeming "unwilling or unable to act".

Andy Burrows, the foundation's chief executive, said: "The three-quarters of teens who are still seeing high-risk suicide, self-harm and depression content saw it on TikTok. The case for action is clear, it just needs the will to take on big tech. Ofcom must now open an investigation into TikTok's algorithm without delay."

A survey of 1,825 children at 21 UK schools carried out by the foundation this summer found that one in three had seen high-risk suicide, self-harm, depression or eating disorder content on major platforms in the week before they were asked. Seven per cent had seen content that made suicidal thoughts seem "normal, appealing, or cool".

The Online Safety Act

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must protect children from content that encourages suicide or self-harm, and Ofcom can fine companies up to 10 per cent of their global turnover if they fail. Campaigners argue the rules are not yet being enforced quickly enough, while the companies say they are investing heavily in safety.

Adriana's school had raised concerns about her wellbeing at the end of last year, after which staff followed up with her and her mother. She was said to be behaving normally at school and at home in the days before her death.

Anyone affected by the issues in this story can contact Samaritans free, day or night, on 116 123, or visit samaritans.org.