A 13-year-old Lancashire girl took her own life at home after posting videos on social media saying she wanted to kill herself following a falling out with friends, an inquest has concluded.
Robyn Lott was found dead in her bedroom on July 14, 2025, by her father Malcolm Lott at their home in Sabden. In the weeks before her death, the teenager had posted videos on TikTok expressing suicidal thoughts, but her mother Alison Ward only discovered the social media activity after her daughter died.
The inquest at Accrington Town Hall heard Robyn had been upset following a disagreement with school friends but seemed to improve after talking with her mother. The next morning, her father went to get her ready for school and made the devastating discovery.
Area coroner Emma Mather delivered a narrative verdict, concluding that although Robyn caused her own death, she was too young to understand what she was doing, so it could not be recorded as suicide.
Speaking after the hearing, Ward expressed concern that young people have become desensitized to suicide and self-harm. “Parents need to know that this can happen to anyone,” she said, adding that her daughter acted impulsively without understanding the finality of her actions.
The case echoes a growing number of tragedies involving young teenagers and social media platforms. In January 2024, an inquest concluded that 14-year-old Mia Janin from Harrow, northwest London, took her own life after experiencing prolonged bullying both in person and online at the Jewish Free School in Kenton.
Mia’s case revealed disturbing details about boys’ WhatsApp groups where male pupils shared images of girls and rated their attractiveness. The inquest heard that one of Mia’s TikTok videos was shared to a Snapchat group created by male students, where they mocked her. Some witnesses reported boys in the group shared manipulated images superimposing photos of female classmates onto nude bodies.
In a WhatsApp voice note sent to a friend on the night of March 10, 2021, before returning to school the next day, Mia said she was “mentally preparing myself to get bullied tomorrow.” She was found dead at her family home on March 12, 2021.
Her father Mariano Janin told reporters after the inquest: “My daughter experienced prolonged and sustained bullying in various ways in person and online. In a way it’s a relief this has now been recognised, however there does need to be accountability.”
Rabbi Howard Cohen, former deputy head teacher at JFS, testified about “boys-only bravado groups” sharing images of girls after Mia’s death. Current head teacher David Moody said Mia “remains a hugely missed member of our school community” and the school continues implementing changes made since her death. Mia was the third child suicide at JFS in five years.
The issue of harmful online content and teen mental health gained national attention following the 2017 death of 14-year-old Molly Russell from Harrow, who viewed suicide and self-harm content on Pinterest and Instagram before taking her own life in November 2017.
A September 2022 inquest found Molly “died from an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content.” Coroner Andrew Walker said content Molly viewed “was not safe” and algorithms resulted in “binge periods” of harmful material.
Executives from Pinterest and Meta were ordered to attend the inquest. Judson Hoffman, a senior Pinterest executive, admitted that when Molly used the platform in 2017 it was “not safe.” Elizabeth Lagone, Meta’s head of health and wellbeing policy, defended some posts Molly viewed as safe because they came from people issuing a “cry for help.”
Molly’s father Ian Russell has campaigned for stronger protections against dangerous social media algorithms. Following his daughter’s inquest, he urged anyone struggling to “speak to someone you trust” rather than engage with potentially harmful online content.
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said the Molly Russell inquest should force social media companies to “get a moral compass and step up.”
In October 2025, an inquest ruled that 13-year-old Qudsiyah Mahmood from Halifax had taken her own life at Baitings Reservoir in May after asking her father to take her there for photos. Messages to friends revealed she had been struggling with her sexuality and mental health, though her family was unaware of her intentions.
For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org. In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
