Pinterest executive admits platform ‘not safe’ when Molly Russell used it

A senior Pinterest executive has admitted the platform was "not safe" when Molly Russell used it, after apologising over the graphic material shown to the teenager before her death.

An inquest into the 14-year-old's death heard how Molly viewed multiple images on self-harm on the online pinboard website and was sent emails by the company recommending depression-related content.

Jud Hoffman, the head of community operations at Pinterest, said he "deeply regrets" that Molly viewed graphic material on the platform before she killed herself in November 2017.

Hoffman told an inquest into the teenager's death on Thursday that Pinterest was still "not perfect" and that content violating its policies "still likely exists" on the platform.

He was asked by Oliver Sanders KC, representing Molly's family, if Pinterest accepts that the site was not safe when she was on it in 2017, where she was able to access graphic material referring to self-harm, depression and suicide.

Hoffman replied: "That's correct. There was content that should have been removed that was not removed."

Molly, from Harrow, north-west London, killed herself in November 2017 after viewing a significant amount of content on social media platforms - especially Pinterest and Instagram - related to depression, suicide, self-harm and anxiety.