Ofcom fines online suicide forum £950,000 for failing to protect UK citizens from harm

Ofcom has today fined the provider of an online suicide forum £950,000 for failing to comply with duties under the Online Safety Act to protect people in the UK from illegal content. Due to its nature, the regulator has decided not to name the forum or its provider. The forum has been linked with over 130 deaths in the UK and was the first service to be investigated by Ofcom under the UK’s online safety laws last year. It has been cited in multiple coroners’ reports regarding the deaths of UK citizens. Ofcom stated that the fact the provider is based outside the UK does not mean the forum is outside the scope of the Act. It remains accessible to people in the UK without a VPN and presents a material risk of significant harm. In 2025, The Mirror joined forces with the Molly Rose Foundation for a three-part documentary series to call for action. Bereaved families and a survivor spoke to the newspaper about the harms that the website had caused. David Parfett, father of Tom, told the Mirror that his son live-blogged his own death on the site, while Adele and Ozlem Walton detailed how their sister and daughter spent her last days in a hotel with a stranger. Launched on World Suicide Prevention Day 2025, the Mirror and the Molly Rose foundation joined forces with bereaved families and a survivor to call on the Government to ban the pro-suicide forum and the lethal substance promoted on it. The Mirror’s Buy To Die: The Deadly Online Forums three-part documentary series investigated how the poison was allegedly sold and promoted to victims in the UK via a pro suicide forum. It is a criminal offence in the UK to intentionally encourage or assist suicide. Under the Online Safety Act, providers are required to assess and mitigate the risk of users encountering this type of content and must take it down swiftly. Ofcom carried out assessments of the forum between March 2025 and April 2026. They found that illegal suicide content, including instructional guides detailing different methods of suicide, has been present on the forum consistently during the investigation. Many of these threads have been either pinned or reposted by the provider itself, which the regulator says demonstrates that the provider is aware of this content. Some of this material has been present on the site for years. The regulator has concluded that the forum’s provider has failed, and continues to fail, to comply with its duties. The £950,000 fine reflects the serious and deliberate nature of the contraventions and the risk of fatal harm to people in the UK. Suzanne Cater, Director of Enforcement at Ofcom, said: “This is a significant fine on a suicide forum known for exploiting the most vulnerable in society. It’s caused unimaginable pain and suffering for bereaved families across the UK and beyond, and no punishment can undo that harm.” She added: “The provider of this forum knows it’s used to share illegal content encouraging and assisting suicide on their site. While they’ve responded to our enforcement action by making some changes to the accessibility of their service in the UK, this is not good enough.” Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “After 13 months of investigation we welcome that Ofcom has taken decisive steps to fine this appalling and deadly forum and will apply to block the site in the courts. However, this process has taken an interminable amount of time, and it is appalling that it has been left to bereaved families and campaign groups to press Ofcom into action.” He continued: “Molly Rose Foundation 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. There are real questions about why it has taken so long for the regulator to act against a forum linked to at least 164 UK deaths.” During the investigation, the forum implemented a geo-block in July 2025, but a third mirror site was later found to be directly accessible to people in the UK without needing to circumvent restrictions. This site was taken offline after Ofcom engaged with the provider. The provider now has 10 working days to take specific steps to come into compliance. Ofcom is preparing an application for a court order to require internet service providers to block UK access to the site if concerns are not fully addressed. For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org , visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.