Archie Battersbee's mum calls for people who share harmful viral 'challenge' videos to be prosecuted after son's death | The Sun

ARCHIE Battersbee's mum has called for harsher restrictions on people who share viral "challenge" videos that could hurt – or even kill – children.

Hollie Dance demanded better regulation on social media following the tragic death of her 12-year-old son at the start of August.

The courageous 46-year-old spoke out on LBC this morning about harmful trends circulating socials and readily available to young, impressionable kids.

Her little boy Archie was left in a coma with brain damage after suffering a "freak accident" at home in Southend, Essex, on April 7, 2022.

She had found her 12-year-old with a ligature over his head, and thinks he might have been taking part in an online dare.

In the months after discovering her boy unresponsive, Hollie waged a fierce battle against courts and hospitals to keep her son alive.

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The heartbroken mum lost a case against the High Court to keep Archie's life-support switched on, when judges agreed with doctors to rule the young lad was "brain-stem dead".

Sadly, Archie passed away on August 6 after nearly five months in intensive care.

But Hollie is refusing to give up the tireless battle she has been waging for Archie – and others at risk like him.

Now he is gone, she wants social media users to pay for the horrific damage they can cause online.

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Hollie, speaking to Tom Swarbrick on LBC this morning, called for social media companies to crack down on their safety checks.

Mainly, she wanted the irresponsible adults who create and share dangerous content to be punished for their actions.

The grieving mum said: “They start grooming the kids anything from the age of seven, up until 13, 14.

“It’s a vulnerable age to be online."

By "they" she clarified that she meant, “People who upload the videos – more needs to be done in the way of what these platforms are allowing."

She added: “Prosecution wise, I think maybe the adults that are uploading the videos for the kids to copy, I think they need to be targeted a bit more."

The mum even suggested that social media users who share these "challenge" clips – not just the content makers – should face prosecution.

She explained what she'd witnessed in one clip – a man in his 30s putting his life in danger.

“Kids are watching that. I don’t know what these adults are thinking at the time," she said.

Hollie claimed there have been at least 82 deaths related to the "challenge" which cost Archie his life.

Numerous other youngsters have reportedly been left brain dead after taking part in the fatal trend.

The campaigner parent is now urging online platforms to step up and stamp out harmful content.

She added: "It’s out there and people are grooming our children to do these challenges, it’s disgusting.

"The people – they’re often adults, not children – who are demonstrating these challenges are sick.

"Those people need to be held accountable. The police and the Government need to work together to stop this."

Luckily, there are over eight ways to keep your child safe online.

Internet safety has become an increasingly worrying problem amongst parents, but speaking to Fabulous, internet expert Allison Troutner from VPNOverview.com has listed the best ways to keep your child safe online.

Her tips included making a family "tech agreement", reporting harmful content, and keeping the computer in a common space in your home.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHILD SAFE ONLINE

Internet expert Allison Troutner listed eight ways to keep kids safe online

1. Consider a family "tech agreement"
2. Report any harmful content that you see
3. Balance safety with independence
4. Keep the computer in a common space
5. Password-protect all accounts and devices
6. Update your operating systems regularly
7. Install security or antivirus software programs and a VPN on your computer
8. Set parental controls

Find out more about each step this article by The Sun

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