Bereaved households name for public inquiry over suicide discussion board

Bereaved households are calling for a public inquiry over “repeated failures” by the federal government and on-line harms regulator Ofcom to successfully cope with a “nihilistic” suicide discussion board.

In accordance with a report by the Molly Rose Basis (MRF), a suicide prevention charity focused to folks beneath the age of 25, authorities departments had been warned a complete of 65 occasions concerning the on-line discussion board.

It added that, to this point, the discussion board has been linked to the deaths of a minimum of 133 folks within the UK over the previous 5 years, after they obtained poisonous chemical compounds promoted by the positioning.

Whereas the discussion board homeowners voluntarily moved to dam UK IP addressed from accessing the positioning in response to an Ofcom investigation launched in April 2025, the MRF claims the regulator is “failing to take the mandatory steps” to forestall the continued menace posed by the positioning.

Below the On-line Security Act – which grew to become regulation in October 2023 however solely went into full impact on 25 July 2025 – Ofcom was in a position from March 2025 to take motion towards websites internet hosting unlawful content material, which incorporates content material selling suicide. If websites fail to point out they’ve methods in place to take away unlawful materials, Ofcom can block them or impose fines of as much as £18m.

In accordance with a 13 October 2025 replace from Ofcom, whereas the positioning initially contained messaging on its touchdown web page telling customers find out how to circumvent the block, this was subsequently eliminated following additional engagement from the regulator.

“These restrictions have lowered the chance that individuals within the UK will likely be uncovered to unlawful or dangerous content material that could be current on the service, which means safer on-line experiences for them,” it stated. “We’re actively monitoring these restrictions to examine they’re maintained constantly and to be sure that the service refrains from selling or encouraging methods for UK customers to keep away from them. Relying on the result of our monitoring course of, we might re-assess prioritisation of this case according to our basic strategy to enforcement.”

Andy Burrows, chief govt of the MRF, stated the state’s failure “to guard its weak residents implies that the nihilistic potential of a suicide discussion board has value numerous lives”, including: “It’s inexplicable that Ofcom has left the destiny of a discussion board that exists to groom and coerce others to finish their lives [to itself] slightly than take swift and decisive motion to legally shut it down within the UK. Nothing lower than a public inquiry is now wanted to be taught the numerous classes and act on them to avoid wasting lives.”

The MRF stated that Ofcom ought to have moved to limit entry itself, slightly than leaving it to the positioning operators. The MRF additionally claims that regardless of a number of authorities departments – together with the Residence Workplace, Division for Well being and Social Care, and the Division for Science, Innovation and Expertise – being warned a mixed complete of 65 occasions by each campaigners and coroners concerning the threat of additional deaths since 2019, no concerted motion was taken.

As an alternative, they accused the departments of enjoying “cross the parcel” with their considerations, and highlighted how there are not any mechanisms in place to trace whether or not motion is taken in response to coroners’ considerations.

Bereaved households who’re a part of Households and Survivors to Forestall On-line Suicide Harms have now written to the prime minister calling for an inquiry into why these warnings have been ignored.  

“We have now seen authorities departments work ineffectively to reply to rising suicide threats. A suicide discussion board being allowed to proceed to advertise a dangerous substance over quite a few years; regulation that enables for the sale of a deadly poison to weak folks domestically and from abroad; and frontline responses which have let down a few of these most in want of help,” they wrote. “That is regardless of the quite a few warnings from coroners, investigations by journalists and the sustained efforts of bereaved members of the family to shine a highlight on these harms.”

Whereas the federal government has not confirmed whether or not it should think about an inquiry, it stated websites should stop customers from accessing unlawful suicide and self-harm content material or face “sturdy enforcement, together with substantial fines”.

A authorities spokesperson added that the substance in query “is carefully monitored and is reportable beneath the Poisons Act”, which means retailers ought to inform the authorities if they think it’s being purchased to trigger hurt.

A message on the discussion board’s homepage says it was not blocked within the UK because of authorities motion, however as an alternative due to a “proactive” determination to “defend the platform and its customers”.

“We function beneath the safety of the First Modification. Nonetheless, UK authorities have signalled intentions to implement their home legal guidelines on overseas platforms, doubtlessly resulting in legal legal responsibility or service disruption,” it stated.

In a press release given to Laptop Weekly, Ofcom stated: “In response to our enforcement motion, the web suicide discussion board put in place a geo-block to limit entry by folks with UK IP addresses. Providers that select to dam entry by folks within the UK should not encourage or promote methods to keep away from these restrictions.”

It added that the discussion board remained on its watchlist and that its earlier investigation into the positioning remained open whereas it checked the block was being maintained.

If you happen to’re struggling, textual content MRF to 85258 so you’ll be able to converse to a educated volunteer from Shout, the UK’s Disaster Textual content Line service.