Parents of Surrey teenager call for action to stop children accessing self harm websites
Frankie-Rose Thomas took her own life after accessing harmful online content using a school iPad.
Last updated 15th Dec 2021
The parents of a 15 year old girl from Surrey who took her own life are urging the government to do more to protect children from online harm in schools.
An inquest heard how Frankie-Rose Thomas was able to access websites that involved information about suicide on a school iPad - she died in 2018.
Her parents are now demanding new laws be introduced requiring schools to have strict filter lists and regular monitoring of activity.
Judy Thomas told us it could have saved Frankie’s life:
"It was devastating. I cant tell you how devastating it was.
"She was accessing some awful, awful material on self-harm and how to commit suicide that we had no idea about, and neither did the school.
"It shouldn't be that the Department for Education 'recommend' things, but there is a statutory check.
"The last thing we want is that this is just another sad story and that no change comes about."
Schools are required to follow safeguarding guidance from the Department for Education around how to protect pupils from harmful online material.
However, Frankie's parents say this doesn't go far enough, and that the filter lists and regular checks should be consistent across all schools.
Andy Thomas said: "How many more children are going to die as a consequence of a lack of rigorous and robust e-safety?
"There needs to be statutory regulation for e-safety, or needs to be made a mandatory requirement so rules are consistently applied across all schools."
Judy Thomas added: "It's appalling. There are a load of concerns that we've got that we would like addressed, obviously, for the safety of other people, so that no other child dies."
The Coroner, Karen Henderson, called for the Department for Education to improve e-safety across all schools.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department for Education told Greatest Hits Radio:
"Schools have a legal duty to keep their pupils safe and our statutory safeguarding guidance sets out in detail how we expect them to protect pupils from potentially harmful online material, such as content on suicide or self-harm."
“The Government’s Online Safety Bill will deliver ground-breaking new laws which make sure tech companies prevent children from accessing self-harm and suicide content which risks causing them harm.”
However, Andy Thomas said further direct action must be taken now:
"How many parents would be horrified to be told your child could be going to school and spending all day reading about drugs, self harming, or suicide techniques, and nobody knows they're doing it.
"If you're child is not responsible enough they could be led to experimenting with any of these things."