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Mental Health Tumblr Tallulah Wilson

Mother calls for advertiser boycott of Tumblr and sites 'promoting' self harm after teen Tallulah Wilson's suicide

By Angela Haggerty, Reporter

January 23, 2014 | 3 min read

The mother of 15-year-old Tallulah Wilson, who committed suicide in 2012, has called on advertisers to withdraw “inappropriate self-harming and suicide promoting blogs” and websites.

Death: 15-year-old Tallulah Wilson took her own life

Sarah Wilson spoke of her family’s loss after the teenager’s death and said she had fallen into the “clutches of a toxic digital world” in which self-destructive and suicidal behaviour was encouraged.

The 15-year-old took her own life on 14 October 2012 by jumping in front of a train at St Pancras station.

“I appeal to big brands to withdraw their advertising from those sites who continue to host inappropriate self-harming and suicide-promoting blogs to stop this poison spreading.

“I believe the likes of Tumblr should do more to protect other vulnerable young people from the insidious aspects of the internet; they need to take an active role in policing and swiftly removing unsuitable material as some sites already do.

“I was shocked by the ease with which Tallulah and other children can access online self harm and suicide blogs. Tallulah entered a world where the lines between fantasy and reality became blurred. It is every parent’s worst nightmare.”

Less than a year after Wilson’s death, 14-year-old Hannah Smith from Leicestershire committed suicide after being bullied on Latvian social networking site Ask.fm. The incident prompted a number of brands, including Specsavers, Laura Ashley, Vodafone and Save the Children to pull advertising from the site.

According to Andrew Goode, chief operating officer at Project Sunblock, while advancements in technology are giving advertisers increased control over where their ads appear, there is still work to do.

“No brand wants their reputation dragged around in the online grime,” he said. “In an increasingly connected society, companies need more reassurance about where their collateral is appearing on the internet, otherwise they risk having the finger pointed at them for funding such sites.

“Just like the ask.fm episode last year, where companies withdrew their advertising following a series of teenage suicides linked to the site, this reinforces the fact that there is a very serious transparency issue online.

“Brands are left in the dark when it comes to knowing where their advertising is appearing on the labyrinth that is the internet. And if the light isn't switched on, they may face a tide of reputational and financial damage.”

A spokesman for Tumblr said that the site is committed to improving its ability to act on self harm content.

Should this subject affect yourself or any other young person you know, then ChildLine can be contacted on 0800 1111.

Mental Health Tumblr Tallulah Wilson

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