Prince William and Duchess Kate comfort fellow parents at mental health event
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met with the father of 14-year-old Molly Russell after the teenager took her own life.
They spoke to her father Ian Russell, who has been campaigning tirelessly to help raise awareness about mental health ever since his daughter passed due to seeing suicide related posts on Instagram.
William has previously put tech giants on blast as he believes they aren’t doing enough to prevent bullying and other problems. He questioned whether they could do better during the Shout messaging helpline event at Troubadour White City Theatre.
The second-in-line to the throne wrote to Mr Russell and his family earlier in the year, offering his condolences. Molly, 14, from Harrow in northwest London, committed suicide in November 2017 after viewing graphic material on self-harm and suicide.
Today, he asked the young girl’s father: “Do you think companies like Instagram are doing enough?”
He then added: “If we can help you in any way please let us know.”
Mr Russell has previously accused Instagram of “helping to kill” his daughter after the family discovered she had been “suggested” disturbing posts on Instagram and Pinterest about anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide.
“My thoughts on Instagram are, we’re grateful that they’re doing something but I think they’re only really inching along the road, and they need to do a lot more,” he said.
Since her passing, the social media app has promised to ban graphic self-harm photos from its site.
Scroll through the gallery to see William and Kate at the Shout messaging helpline event.