Nearly half of UK girls saw harmful social media content in a week, research shows | Social media ban
A study shows that almost half of girls and a third of teens have seen suicide, self-harm and eating disorder content on social media in a week.
Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) research found that 47% of girls aged 13 to 17 encountered high-risk content over a seven-day period.
The research found that only slightly fewer young people now see harmful content (34%) compared to just before the new security measures came into force last summer (37%).
The charity, which was established in memory of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who committed suicide after watching harmful content online in 2017, said research showed children were still facing a “tsunami of harmful content”.
The findings are based on a survey of 1,825 UK children aged 13 to 17, conducted by MEL Research in April 2026 with support from the PSHE Association.
They also found that children from lower welfare backgrounds (57%) and children with special educational needs (40%) were at even higher risk of viewing the content.
The new protection, which came into force in July last year, included age checks to prevent children from accessing pornography and other harmful content.
The changes also require platforms to ensure that algorithms do not serve content aimed at children, such as self-harm and eating disorders.
Actions that could be taken against firms that fail to comply with the new rules include fines of up to £18 million or 10% of eligible worldwide revenue, whichever is greater, and court orders blocking access in the UK.
Keir Starmer is expected to announce a ban preventing under-16s from accessing harmful social media sites next week, following government consultations on what restrictions should be introduced.
The consultation received nearly 116,000 responses, making it the second largest government consultation in history.
Molly’s father Ian Russell said: “It is shocking but sadly unsurprising that millions of young people are being shown horrific content of suicide, self-harm and depression by out-of-control algorithms.
“We have repeatedly warned that weak enforcement of the Online Safety Act would leave preventable harm unchecked, and unfortunately this research confirms those warnings.
“Keir Starmer now faces a choice between a politically expedient sweeping ban that the evidence says will quickly fail, and finally addressing the product safety risks that cost my daughter Molly her life.”
A Downing Street spokesman said: “We have carried out extensive consultation and will take next steps in due course.
“The Prime Minister has made clear that the status quo is not good enough and we need to do more to protect children.
“This has nothing to do with politics, it’s about the protection of children,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Scottish government has called on Starmer to “do more to protect children and young people from online harm”.
Scotland’s children’s minister, Siobhian Brown, will meet the UK’s Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Online Security, Kanishka Narayan, on Sunday.
Brown said during the meeting that he would “call for urgent action to protect young people.”
“Given that the power to control online security rests with Westminster, we are constantly pushing the UK government to take action,” he said.
“We know there are steps the UK government can take now, such as banning the use of social media for children and using Ofcom’s powers to force social media firms to take action.”
The Public Policy Research Institute’s survey of more than 2,000 adults found that 51% of respondents trust parents to decide which platforms are appropriate, 49% trust an independent regulator, 22% trust schools, 16% trust tech companies and 15% trust government ministers.
The survey by YouGov also found that 44 percent support banning under-16s from social media, while 39 percent prefer stricter regulations.
Brown said he would like to see a social media tax implemented, charging social media platforms a fee that could be reinvested into youth mental health programs.
“Our aim in Scotland is to treat this issue as a public health issue, recognizing that there are a range of harms that can arise from the absorption of hateful and harmful content and the unhealthy use of online services.”
