Mom whose 12-year-old daughter killed herself after watching '13 Reasons Why' asks parents to monitor their kids
A grieving mother has pleaded with other parents to think many times before allowing their children to watch the Netflix show '13 Reasons Why' after her 12-year-old daughter reportedly took her life after watching it.
Rachael Warburton revealed that her daughter Jessica Scatterson also left a suicide note which had "six reasons to kill herself" before taking her own life. The young girl had shared with her mother that she was watching the show which is about a teenager who leaves a series of recordings before committing suicide which explain why she took the drastic decision.
According to a new US study, teenager suicides spiked around 30 percent since the first season of the show released. The spike in suicides was seen mostly in boys though no direct link has been made.
As reported by the Mirror, Warburton shared, "Jessica was watching this show with her friends and listed six reasons why she wanted to die. It should be banned because my daughter watched it and it gives children the idea of self-harm. Its intentions are to raise suicide awareness but I believe it encourages young people to commit suicide. All Jessica's friends were messaging each other discussing the series. Parents should be warned not to let their children watch it."
An inquest into the child's death heard that the girl and her friends would self-harm and a small blade from a pencil sharpener was found in her room. The girl also had some superficial cuts on her leg which were in the shape of lettering. Jessica's friends had called authorities after she shared a picture of her foot with "RIP" on it after which officers went to her home in Warrington, Cheshire.
She was discovered hanging in her room only two days before her 13th birthday. There were notes which had been found which showed suicide and also the name of an alleged bully. According to coroner Alan Moore, Jessica felt "emotionally overwhelmed" when she took her life in April 2017. The show had initially released in March 2017 and had a 15 age rating from the British Board of Film Classification.
Warburton added that she wanted stricter parental controls on Netflix and said, "I don't want another parent to go through what we have. I urge everyone to keep a closer eye on what children are watching online."
According to a study, suicides among young people in the United States rose by 28.9 percent in April 2017 around a month after the show premiered. It was reported that more Americans had taken their lives in that month as compared to any other month in a five year period.