Suicide forum fined £950,000 for not blocking UK users

Suicide forum fined £950,000 for not blocking UK usersJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePA MediaImran Rahman-JonesTechnology reporterA pro-suicide online forum which has been linked to at least 50 deaths has been fined £950,000 by the UK's media regulator. Ofcom said the site did not comply with the Online Safety Act (OSA) "to protect people in the UK from illegal content". Ofcom Director of Enforcement Suzanne Cater said the forum had made some attempts to block UK users but this was "not good enough and the changes they've made were not consistently applied or effective to reduce the risk of harm". But Ofcom has been criticised for taking too long to take action with the Molly Rose Foundation saying: "It is appalling that it has been left to bereaved families and campaign groups to press Ofcom into action." The online safety charity's chief executive Andy Burrows added it had "submitted detailed evidence which showed scores of vulnerable young people remained at risk while Ofcom's investigation dragged on. "Further lives were lost during this period". It is a criminal offence in the UK to intentionally encourage or assist suicide, and the OSA requires chatroom providers to mitigate the risks of UK users seeing this type of content on their platforms. Ofcom said the site was accessible by people in the UK without the use of a VPN, which is a common way of getting around blocks in one country. The regulator added it had spoken to people with "personal knowledge of the forum" and thanked them for engaging with the investigation. Its investigation ran from March 2025 to April 2026 and was the first of its type under the OSA. Ofcom said it had "engaged extensively" with the forum provider throughout. Vlad Nikolin-Caisley's family tearfully spoke to the BBC to call for tighter restrictions on online platformsBBC News investigations into the forum found young people who had been on the site had been encouraged to and given instructions on how to kill themselves. The BBC and Ofcom chose not to name the website. Vlad Nikolin-Caisley, 17, and Aimee Walton, 21, both from Southampton, died after using the online pro-suicide chat room. Their families had called on Ofcom to act. After the fine was announced, Aimee's sister Adele Zeynep Walton said families like hers had been "agonisingly waiting for action against the website that took our loved ones". In a statement on behalf of Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms, Walton added: "We feel let down by the process and Ofcom's slow response to this threat to life." She also said a fine was not enough, and wanted to see "criminal sanctions against the sinister actors who actively groom, encourage and instruct British people to take their lives." BBC News has asked Ofcom for a response to these criticisms and those of the Molly Rose Foundation. The forum had made some efforts to block UK users, but in November 2025 the BBC reported a "mirror" site had emerged under a new name. Ofcom said it acted quickly after being alerted to the new site by the Samaritans charity, and it was blocked again. Ofcom said the £950,000 fine "reflects the serious and deliberate nature of the contraventions, and the risk of fatal harm to people in the UK posed by the content present on the service". It also took into account the changes which the forum's provider had made, as it had attempted some blocks to UK users. However, it said the provider had failed "to comply with its duties to assess and mitigate the risk of people in the UK encountering illegal content on its service". The provider now has 10 working days to comply with the law, while Ofcom is preparing to apply for a court order which would require internet service providers to block access to its site. If the company fails to pay the fine, Ofcom can pursue it through the courts. Cater said the forum had "caused unimaginable pain and suffering for bereaved families across the UK and beyond, and no punishment can undo that harm". If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story you can find information and support on the BBC Actionline website here. How can you keep your child safe online?'Toxic online community led to my sister's suicide'Suicide forum warned of potential £18m fine by OfcomSign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here. OfcomSocial mediaOnline Safety Bill