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Molly Russell's dad urges Keir Starmer to act on online safety in letter

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70% Informative

Molly Russell took her own life after seeing harmful content on Pinterest and Instagram .

Her father, Ian Russell , has written to Sir Keir Starmer urging him to tighten rules on internet safety.

He says more young people have lost their lives because of "dither and delay" on the issue.

The Online Safety Act is designed to force tech firms to take more responsibility for the content on their platforms.

There is a sense in Whitehall of "waiting and see" as technology advances.

But the government is also nervous about making rules so tight that tech companies feel unwelcome.

Ministers have to consider what's right for the economy as well as protecting the public.

A government source said some discussions about protecting people online had been "spicy".

We have now entered a different era, and we will need a different regulatory approach that can address it.

People like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are at the leading edge of a wholesale recalibration of the industry.