UK Suicide Forum Found in Breach of Online Safety Act After Failed Geoblock

Summary

UK regulator Ofcom has ruled that a suicide forum linked to at least 135 deaths in Britain is in breach of the Online Safety Act after failing to effectively block UK users. The forum, which Ofcom is not naming publicly, implemented a geoblock in April 2025 following an investigation, but simultaneously posted instructions on how to circumvent it. A mirror site was later discovered allowing continued direct access to UK users. The case represents one of the first major enforcement actions under the UK's Online Safety Act, which came into force to hold platforms accountable for illegal content.

Coroners have raised concerns about the forum since at least 2019, with bereaved families and the Molly Rose Foundation—established after 14-year-old Molly Russell's death—documenting 65 instances of coroners flagging substance or suicide forums to government departments. Among the victims was 17-year-old Vlad Nikolin-Caisley from Southampton, who took his own life in 2024 after using the site. Campaigners criticized Ofcom for moving too slowly, noting evidence of deaths linked to the forum even after the geoblock was supposedly implemented.

Ofcom found the forum failed multiple duties under the Online Safety Act, including assessing illegal content risks and swiftly removing such content. The regulator can now apply to courts for fines and order internet service providers to block the site entirely in the UK. The forum operator has 10 working days to respond before Ofcom issues a final decision. Andy Burrows, CEO of the Molly Rose Foundation, called for swift action including fines or criminal sanctions matching the harm caused, emphasizing that the forum exists to "coerce and groom vulnerable, often young, people into ending their lives."

• Bereaved families and campaigners had criticized Ofcom for moving too slowly despite coroners raising concerns about such forums at least 65 times since 2019