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Davine Lee still has the birthday present she bought for her friend Molly five years ago, an unwrapped box containing a hoodie featuring her favourite TV show, that remains sitting untouched at home.

She learned of her friend’s death, at the age of 14, after seeing her empty chair at school and wondering where she might be.

Hearing the news, nothing made sense.

Warning: Some readers may find the content in this story distressing.

Molly Russell's family have campaigned for better internet safety since her death in 2017.

Molly Russell, a seemingly happy teenager from Harrow, northwest London, was found dead in her bedroom in November 2017, just a day after rehearsing with Davine for a show she had been picked to play a lead role in.

It later emerged she had viewed masses of content related to suicide, depression and anxiety online.

In a landmark ruling at an inquest in September, a coroner ruled she died not from suicide, but from “an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content”.

More on Molly Russell

Dealing with the death of a friend in this way, especially at such a young age, is a particularly complex form of grief to process.

“To have to lose a friend at that age, it’s scarring,” Davine quietly explains. “Losing Molly… it’s something we won’t ever be able to forget or entirely move on from…

“I’ve still got her birthday present from 2017 – it would have been her 15th birthday, and of course she never made it to that birthday. That present still sits in my room, I’m just really not sure what to do with it. I obviously can’t give it to her but it feels in some way like I can still hold on to her through that.”

With permission from the Russell family, this is Davine’s first media interview, speaking exclusively to Sky News. Now 20 and at university, she says she was moved to speak publicly for the first time to highlight the importance of bringing the Online Safety Bill back before parliament. Reliving that time, she hopes, might prompt anyone struggling to see how much they would be missed.

“It was shocking to see that it was that bad,” says Davine, referring to the graphic material that was shown at Molly’s inquest. “I want people to know that what happened to Molly isn’t an isolated event and the content that she was being pushed, it still exists.”

‘Poor mental health can hide almost in plain sight’

Davine Lee is speaking out about harmful online content following the death of her friend Molly Russell in 2017
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Davine, now 20, wants social media companies to be held responsible for harmful content

Molly and Davine had been friends since they started secondary school together and shared a love of singing and musicals. They starred together in school productions of Les Miserables and Beauty And The Beast.

“[Molly] had just been given like one of the lead roles for the show we were doing that year… she was still doing the things she loved… either depression or poor mental health can hide almost in plain sight in that sense,” says Davine.

Recalling the horrific day that she and her school friends were told what had happened, she remembers the teachers ushering them all into a room. Then came the news that Molly had died.

“My first thought was like, ‘no’. It was like an instant sense of doubt, like, ‘no, Molly wouldn’t’. It just didn’t even make sense.”

Davine says she was told the news with other students. They were all in tears. “And that’s a sound I can’t forget, the sound of that many children just in such emotion.

“To attend a funeral at that age for someone who is a friend… we were just trying to get through each day.”

The coroner’s ruling: How content ‘romanticised’ self-harm

Molly’s family would later learn that alone in her room, social media algorithms had been feeding her a weight of disturbing content.

The coroner at her inquest ruled the content she had viewed “romanticised” self-harm, “normalised” her depression, and that some content “discouraged” the teenager from seeking “help” – ultimately contributing to her death.

Davine wants to highlight that Molly was not an isolated case, and that young people being drawn into looking at dark content on social media is a huge and damaging issue.

On Instagram, many of the hashtags Molly searched for have now been blocked. However, Sky News’ data and forensics unit found that while these blocks have been made and some content removed, the autofill device or misspellings can still lead users to some content, which Molly viewed; this was shown to her inquest but is too distressing to publish here.

Read more:
The digital trail that sheds light on the final months of Molly Russell’s life

‘No one is immune from such tragedy’
Social media ‘almost impossible to keep track of’

A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Instagram, responded to Sky News to say the company is committed to protecting young people.

“We’ve already been working on many of the recommendations outlined in [the coroner’s] report, including new parental supervision tools that let parents see who their teens follow and limit their time on Instagram,” the spokesperson said.

“We also automatically set teens’ accounts to private when they join, nudge them towards different content if they’ve been scrolling on the same topic for some time and have controls designed to limit the types of content teens see.

“We don’t allow content that promotes suicide or self-harm, and we find 98% of the content we take action on before it’s reported to us. We’ll continue working hard, in collaboration with experts, teens and parents, so we can keep improving.”

‘I felt so unwell I couldn’t work’: Former social media moderator speaks anonymously

A young girl looking at social media apps

Sky News has spoken anonymously to a former social media moderator who described managing harmful content on social media platforms as “an impossible task”.

Working for one of the world’s leading social media companies for a year during the pandemic, her job was to carry out a secondary viewing of content that had been flagged as potentially problematic, including posts that could be “extremely violent, homophobic”, or even show paedophilia.

“But there was probably one video in particular that affected me the most,” she said. This was footage of someone taking their own life.

She said she would watch and tag at least 1,000 videos a day. “It more just upset you about the world – seeing so much, sorry to say it, s**t, really. Things that people would do to themselves or others, it gives you a lack of belief in the world, really.”

After a year, she says that mentally and physically she could not carry on. “I felt so unwell that I literally couldn’t work, and I had to call my GP to advise me not to do it anymore.

“The effect it had on me the most was the sleep. I couldn’t sleep because I was so stressed. I was dreaming about some of the videos I could have incorrectly tagged.

“I won’t go into personally exactly what happened, but it wasn’t far off from Molly [Russell]. I can recognise feelings in how I felt seeing all of this content coming at me.”

The enormity of the task of policing all the content was just too much, she says. “The system there was just chaos… no one really knew what was happening.”

“We’re just a lot of young [people], like a lot of [people who have] just finished their degree… sat there trying to figure out how to judge all this content with no legal background.”

The rise of potentially harmful online content

Woman using her laptop for working from home

Research by mental health charity Young Minds shared exclusively with Sky News suggests disturbing content is a growing problem.

It found that more than a fifth (22%) of young people are automatically shown distressing content by social media platforms, based on their previous online activity, at least once a week.

Nearly all young people (89%) who have had mental health problems said social media helps drive harmful behaviours, and more than half (52%) of that group said they had sought out content which they knew might make them distressed or uncomfortable.

The government has been accused of dragging its feet when it comes to introducing legislation to regulate social media firms but now, after years of delay, the online safety bill is back before parliament next week – proposing fines for tech companies of up to 10 % of their global turnover if they fail to protect users from harmful content – and criminalising posts that encourage self-harm.

But critics such as Baroness Claire Fox want the bill to be scrapped.

“The danger is that we – on the back of a very emotional response to something like the tragedy of Molly Russell – bring in a piece of legislation that doesn’t just protect children but actually infantilises adults and treats them like children,” she told Sky News. “And if you’re a free speech campaigner, as I am, this bill is a major, serious censorship tool.”

To those campaigning for better protections against potentially dangerous social media algorithms, Molly’s case embodies the horrific consequences of doing nothing.

The long-term impact and the ‘crisis’ in children’s mental health

Molly Russell. Pic: Russell family
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Pic: Russell family

Olly Parker, from Young Minds, says: “I’m kind of a researcher in this field, but I’m also a father as well and it absolutely terrifies me.

“I don’t think we’re really going to see what the long-term impacts of this are maybe until 10, 15 years down the line. But one thing we are seeing is a real crisis in children in young people’s mental health. So every month right now we see record numbers of young people being referred to their GPs and doctors for more mental health support.”

When the online safety bill returns to parliament, Molly Russell’s friends and family hope it will be the first step towards holding big tech responsible for the content on their platforms.

Read more: Why the online safety bill is proving so controversial
‘Why are you doing this?’ – heated exchange at inquest
Child psychiatrist ‘did not sleep well’ after viewing content

“It’s big news that they now want to criminalise harmful content and anyone responsible for that but at the same time it does feel like it’s been an awfully long journey,” says Davine. “But I think it’s good to appreciate that we’re here now.”

But while it is something to place hope in, it can never bring back Molly.

“She was so loved by all of us,” Davine says. “I think she genuinely believed we would be better off without her… I think if she saw how much pain we were going through, I don’t think she would have made that choice.”

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. Alternatively, letters can be mailed to: Freepost SAMARITANS LETTERS

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Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to ‘dear friend’ Val Kilmer

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Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to 'dear friend' Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.

Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.

Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.

Tom Cruise, star of the upcoming film "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning," leads a moment of silence for late actor Val Kilmer during the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon at Caesars Palace on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Tom Cruise said ‘I wish you well on the next journey’. Pic: AP

Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP
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Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP

His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.

“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.

“I wish you well on the next journey.”

The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.

Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.

Tom Cruise takes part in the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon at Caesars Palace on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Tom Cruise at Caesars Palace on Thursday. Pic: AP

Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.

He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.

Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.

Read more from Sky News:
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He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.

In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.

The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.

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Bruce Springsteen: The Boss to release seven ‘lost’ albums

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Bruce Springsteen: The Boss to release seven 'lost' albums

Bruce Springsteen is to release seven albums of mostly unheard material this summer.

The US singer said the songs, written and re-recorded between 1983 and 2018, were being made public after he began completing “everything I had in my vault” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a short video posted on Instagram, Springsteen said the albums were “records that were full records, some of them even to the point of being mixed and not released”.

The 83-song collection is being released in a box set called Tracks II: The Lost Albums and goes on sale on 27 June.

Some 74 of the tracks have never been heard before.

Springsteen first teased the release on Wednesday morning with a short social media video accompanied by text which said: “What was lost has been found”.

Tracks II is the follow-up to the star’s first Tracks volume, a four-CD collection of 66 unreleased songs, released in 1998.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 26, 2025: Bruce Springsteen took the stage at Carnegie Hall for People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith, an electrifying tribute to the legendary artist. The event, presented by Michael Dorf, honored Smiths profound impact on music, poetry, and activism, bringing together an all-star lineup to perform her most iconic songs. (Photo: Giada Papini Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire). Photo by: Giada Papini Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
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Bruce Springsteen at New York’s Carnegie Hall at a tribute to Patti Smith last month. Pic: PA

The New Jersey-born rocker, nicknamed The Boss, last released a studio album in 2022.

Only the Strong Survive was a collection of covers, including songs by Motown and soul artists, such as the Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Frankie Wilson and Jimmy Ruffin.

The late soul legend Sam Moore, who died in January and was a frequent Springsteen collaborator, sang on two of the tracks.

Read more from Sky News:
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Richest billionaires named

Springsteen is coming to the UK in May to launch a two-month tour of Europe with his E Street Band.

The shows will include performances at the Co-op Live in Manchester and Liverpool’s Anfield stadium.

The singer-songwriter has sold more than 140 million records since his debut on the music scene in 1973, according to his website.

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Stalker who believed Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas was his aunt avoids jail

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Stalker who believed Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas was his aunt avoids jail

A man who stalked Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas for six years has avoided jail.

Kyle Shaw, 37, got a 20-month suspended sentence and a lifetime restraining order on contacting Ballas, her mother, niece, and former partner.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that he thought Ballas was his aunt and “began a persistent campaign of contact”.

“He believed, and it’s evident from what he was told by his mother, that her late brother was his father,” said prosecutor Nicola Daley.

The court heard there was no evidence he was wrong, and “limited evidence” he was correct.

Ms Daley said Shaw’s messages had accused Ballas of being to blame for the death of her brother, who took his own life in 2003 aged 44.

He also set up social media accounts in his name.

Shaw had pleaded guilty to stalking the former dancer between August 2017 and November 2023 at a hearing in February.

Incidents included following Ballas’s 86-year-old mother, Audrey Rich, while she was shopping and telling her she was his grandmother.

The court heard in messages to Mrs Rich, Shaw had asked: “Where’s my dad?”

Ballas was so worried for her mother’s safety that she moved her from Merseyside to London.

Shaw outside court on the day of his sentencing. Pic: PA
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Kyle Shaw outside court on the day of his sentencing. Pic: PA

In October 2020, Ballas called police after Shaw messaged her and said: “Do you want me to kill myself, Shirley?”

Posts on X included one alongside an image of her home address that warned: “You ruined my life, I’ll ruin yours and everyone’s around you.”

Another referenced a book signing and said: “I can’t wait to meet you for the first time Aunty Shirley. Hopefully I can get an autograph.”

The court was told Ballas’s niece Mary Assall, former partner Daniel Taylor and colleagues from Strictly Come Dancing and ITV’s Loose Women were also sent messages.

‘I know where you live’

On one occasion in late 2023, Shaw called Mr Taylor and told him he knew where the couple lived and described Ballas’s movements.

The court heard the 64-year-old TV star become wary of socialising and stopped using public transport.

Prosecutor Ms Daley said: “She described having sleepless nights worrying about herself and her family’s safety and being particularly distressed when suggestions were made to her that she and her mother were responsible for her brother taking his own life.”

Man accused of stalking Shirley Ballas
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Ballas has been head judge on Strictly Come Dancing since 2017. Pic: PA

Shaw cried and wiped away tears as he was sentenced on Tuesday.

The judge said the stalking stemmed from his mother telling him Ballas’s brother, David Rich, was his biological father.

“I’m satisfied that your motive for this offending was a desire to seek contact with people you genuinely believed were your family,” he said.

“Whether in fact there’s any truth in that belief is difficult, if not impossible, to determine.”

Kyle Shaw leaves Liverpool Crown Court, where he is charged with stalking Strictly judge Shirley Ballas.
Pic: PA
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Shaw pictured at court in February. Pic: PA

Read more from Sky News:
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Defence lawyer John Weate said Shaw had been told the story by his mother “in his mid to late teens” and had suffered “complex mental health issues” since he was a child.

He added: “He now accepts that Miss Ballas and her family don’t wish to have any contact with him and, importantly, he volunteered the information that he has no intention of contacting them again.”

Shaw, of Whetstone Lane in Birkenhead, also admitted possessing cannabis and was ordered to undertake a rehab programme.

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