The grieving family of a teenage girl found dead at home believe she took her own life after being fed a stream of social media videos normalising suicide.
Blake Gallier, 13, died at her family home in Northfleet, Kent, on October 30 last year, just weeks after her birthday.
Her mother, Gemma Best, said she had no idea how much ‘disturbing’ content she had been looking at online before her apparent suicide.
She said her ‘happy and funny’ daughter had showed no signs that she was struggling with her mental health.
‘Blake was really happy,’ she said. ‘She was an extrovert; she was funny; she was hilarious; she was the life and soul of the party.
‘Blake was a confident, happy extrovert who was just phenomenal.’
But her family were devastated after her death to find she had been watching and reposting ‘worrying’ content on her phone.
Since the tragedy, Ms Best and Blake’s older sister, Tayla Gallier, have been supporting the Raise The Age campaign to introduce a ban on social media for under 16s.
Blake Gallier, 13, (pictured) died at her family home in Northfleet, Kent, on October 30 last year, just weeks after her birthday
Blake is pictured with her mother, Gemma Best
Ms Best, 47, continued: ‘Children that age are on their phones, and I think social media was a big issue for Blake.
‘From what I have gathered, Blake reposted a lot of worrying stuff, and I was not aware of that.
‘I never realised what the content was. All her friends had phones; the age for social media was 13, and I stupidly never researched it.
‘After going through what we have gone through, I 100 per cent support the social media ban. I was not a parent who was convinced until this happened. Now I think, “why did she need that phone?”
‘If Blake had gone out more and not been on her phone so much or in her bedroom, she might not have done what she did. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.’
Ms Gallier, 19, added: ‘She was the youngest; I am the eldest sister, so if anyone knows that dynamic, they know it can be very challenging at times.
‘She was annoying. She was always stealing my things. She was jarring, but she was amazing.
‘She was very funny; she was the life of the party. You could hear her from a mile away. She was completely full of life.’
In June, the Government announced that children under 16 will be banned from social media.
Apps including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram are among those that will be included.
It is hoped the measure will pass before Christmas, with the ban coming in by spring 2027.
The new measures will aim to protect young people from harm online and address unhealthy late-night scrolling on phones.
Blake’s family are campaigning for a social media crackdown on children under 16. They are pictured with other grieving parents
Blake’s mother and sister, who both work for Marks and Spencer, have set up a charity in her name.
Blake’s Pink Promise is currently in the process of being registered with the Charity Commission but has already funded counselling for 76 pupils across four Gravesend schools and two adults.
They have been working with Blake’s secondary school and former primary school, to identify students aged seven to 13 who may need support.
Ms Best said it is important to target children as young as seven, as she believes Blake must have been struggling from a young age.
She continued: ‘It could happen to anyone. I would love to say it will never happen again, but I can’t.’
Ms Gallier added: ‘When you are that young, you do not know what is happening to you and do not have the capacity to see that you need help.
‘I think it became very apparent after Blake’s passing that there is a lot more going on than what we realise, and a lot of young people do not have the support that they might need.
‘Our whole lives were turned upside down, so even if we help one child not feel the way Blake must have, [that] makes doing this every day worth it.
‘We want to prevent anyone else from going through the same thing that we have had to. We want to help people in the way we wish she was helped.’
Blake’s inquest is due to be held later this year.
– For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support
