The grieving mum of a girl who took her own life has called for a Netflix show to be banned.
Jessica Scatterson, 12, was found dead after watching the series 13 Reasons Why.
In the show, a teenager commits suicide after making 13 recordings explaining her decision.
Speaking to The Mirror, Jessica's mum Rachael Warburton, 33, said: "Jessica was watching this show with her friends and listed six reasons why she wanted to die.”
The care support worker from Leigh, added: “It should be banned, because my daughter watched it and it gives children the idea to 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 Jessica's death heard the teenager was found hanged in her home in Warrington.
She was found in her bedroom by her dad, Christopher Scatterson, 41.
Notes were found that referred to suicide.
Coroner Alan Moore said Jessica felt 'emotionally overwhelmed' when she took her own life in April 2017.
13 Reasons Why aired in March 2017, three weeks before the tragedy.
It was given a 15 age rating from the British Board of Film Classification, apart from four episodes given an 18 rating.
One of those was the first series finale in which lead character Hannah Barker kills herself.
Rachael also wants stricter parenting controls on Netflix accounts to stop children watching unsuitable shows.
She 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.”
Suicides among youngsters in the US rose by 28.9% in April 2017, the month after the show premiered, a study found last week. More Americans aged 10 to 17 took their own lives that month than in any other month in a five-year period.
And there were 195 more suicides than expected, based on historical trends, in the nine months after the release, according to the report published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Researchers said they could not make a direct causal link with the series.
But study co-author Lisa Horowitz, of the National Institute of Mental Health, said: “[This] should raise awareness that young people are particularly vulnerable to the media.
“All disciplines, including the media, need to take good care to be constructive and thoughtful about topics that intersect with public health crises.”
Study lead author Jeff Bridge said: “The creators of the series intentionally portrayed the suicide of the main character. It was a very graphic depiction of the suicide death.”
In a study last year of 87 teenagers admitted to psychiatric care, half those who had seen the show said they believed it increased their suicide risk. It followed concerns raised by Dr Victor Hong of the University of Michigan, who noted a 50% rise in the number of teenagers going into his psychiatric emergency service.
He concluded the show could be putting vulnerable youngsters at risk. The findings, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, could not prove a link between the show and suicide. But Dr Hong said: “Our study confirms we should definitely be concerned about [the show’s] impact on impressionable and vulnerable youth.”
Labour MP Stephen Doughty said: “We should be doing all we can to protect and safeguard children and young people from suicide narratives whether online or on streaming TV services.
“Providers like Netflix are simply not doing enough to ensure that appropriate age verification is in place for easily accessible TV services.”
Netflix later agreed to add extra warnings about the graphic content of the drama, which was co-produced by singer and actress Selena Gomez , 26. Defending her role in the series, Gomez said: “We wanted to do it in a way where it was honest, and we wanted to make something that can, hopefully, help people, because suicide should never, ever be an option.”
Netflix defended the show. It said it was reviewing the US study on the suicide increase.
The streaming service pointed to recent research from the University of Pennsylvania that found people aged 18 to 29 who watched all of the show’s second series were less likely to report self-harm and suicidal thoughts than those who did not watch the series.
A spokesman for Netflix said: “Our hearts go out to this family. It is a critically important topic and we have worked hard to ensure that we handle this sensitive issue responsibly.
"The start of each series carries a message which says the show tackles issues such as "sexual assault, substance abuse, suicide and more."
"By shedding a light on these difficult topics, we hope our show can help viewers start a conversation. But if you are struggling with these issues yourself, this series may not be right for you or you may want to watch it with a trusted adult.
"And if you ever feel you need someone to talk with, reach out to a parent, a friend, a school counsellor or an adult you trust, call a local helpline or go to 13reasonswhy.info . Because the minute you start talking about it, it gets easier."
