'Suicide website users encouraged our teen son to drink poison'

In a heartbreaking story, Anna Nikolin-Caisley has bravely shared the tragic details surrounding the death of her son, Vlad, who was just 17 years old when he took his own life on May 7, 2024. Vlad's death came after he ingested poison that he had purchased from an online platform. Anna recalls the horrifying moment when she was awakened by her son’s desperate cries for help in the early hours of the morning. She rushed to his side, but unfortunately, it was too late. Anna believes that Vlad was influenced by an online community that promotes suicide, and she hopes that by sharing their story, they can prevent other families from experiencing similar tragedies. The government has introduced new regulations that require online platforms to remove illegal content related to suicide and self-harm. However, the Samaritans charity has expressed concerns that these new laws do not go far enough to protect vulnerable individuals, particularly young people. Anna and her family are calling for stricter measures to be put in place to ensure that harmful content is removed from the internet. They want to raise awareness about the dangers of these online communities and the impact they can have on young minds. Following Vlad's death, his family discovered that he had been sharing his struggles with others online. They found a 'suicide kit' in their home, which contained various poisons and pills that Vlad had acquired after joining the online group. Anna describes this community as a 'pro-suicide' cult that kept secrets from families and encouraged harmful behavior. She believes that if Vlad had not found this website, he might still be alive today. The family is devastated and is determined to advocate for change to protect other young people from the same fate.