I'm living every parent's worst nightmare, says devastated mother whose daughter, 13, took her own life after bullying on social media
A woman whose teenage daughter took her own life after being bullied on social media has said she is living 'every parent's worst nightmare'.
Alyssa Morris was tragically found hanged in Brungerley Park in Clitheroe, Lancashire, just five days before her 14th birthday on February 12, 2023.
While life-saving procedures were attempted, the 13-year-old was pronounced dead later that day.
Her devastated mother, Kathleen Firth, 37, said that her daughter's death followed months of 'relentless bullying' but believed that it 'could have been prevented' with the right support.
She argued that social media, bullying and lockdown created 'the perfect storm' of circumstances that ultimately lead to the death of her 'little girl'.
The mother-of-four also suspected that Alyssa may have been neurodiverse but was unable to receive a formal diagnosis, therefore preventing the teen from getting the correct support.
Describing the pain of her daughter's tragic loss, Ms Firth, a support worker, said: 'Alyssa took a part of me with her when she died, and life hasn't been the same since.
'As a family, we're still coming to terms with the loss.
'It haunts me that her death could have been prevented, had we known what was really going on and if she'd had the correct support.
'I knew she'd been struggling, but we had no idea how bad the bullying had become. False rumours circulated around school with misinterpreted videos.
'Thanks to phones and social media it didn't just consume her school life, but it intruded into her home life too.'
Described as 'funny, beautiful, very clever', Alyssa loved musicals – especially Hamilton – and loved drawing. She also had ambitions to work with animals and the RSPCA.
An inquest into the circumstances surrounding her death was held at Accrington Town Hall in May 2023, with Coroner Richard Taylor returning a conclusion of suicide.
He also told the hearing that a note from Alyssa 'doesn't give any explanation' for her actions.
But Ms Firth insists that Alyssa had taken her life because of 'a combination of three things: bullying, social media and Covid'.
Her mother told the hearing that her daughter had no problems at primary school, but struggled after starting secondary school in 2020 – partly due to Covid requirements which saw pupils taught in 'bubbles'.
She said that Alyssa had began displaying 'social anxieties' and had self-harmed by cutting her arms. Despite moving schools, the bullying and harassment continued and even included an alleged physical attack at a bus stop in July 2022, which was reported to the police.
However, Ms Firth alleged that despite attending a police station, no-one took a statement from her.
She described the self-harm, which Alyssa began doing just aged 11, as 'terrifying' and left her feeling 'completely helpless'.
Ms Firth added: 'I tried to speak to her about it, but it always led to arguments and she'd get very defensive.
'Whenever I tried to seek medical help, she would get upset. Alyssa wasn't comfortable discussing issues in front of people.
'She became really isolated during covid, which didn't help her anxiety. Covid separated her and the only form of communication she had was social media.'
Ms Firth also said that despite monitoring her daughter's phone, the majority of the bullying took place on Snapchat meaning that the messages disappeared after a certain period of time.
She added: 'She wasn't really supposed to be using social media, they're not designed for children her age. But we had to become more lenient because she couldn't go out and play during covid.
'The minimum age to use Snapchat is 13, but I think that's too young. It's not suitable for children.'
The inquest heard how Alyssa had discussed taking her own life in online chat with two friends and had also looked into a suicide technique.
But in the days before her death her mother hadn't noticed 'anything unusual'.
In her statement to the hearing, Ms Firth said: 'she had seemed so positive over the previous months.
'This was such a shock because there was nothing to suggest anything would happen.'
On February 12, 2023, Ms Firth was shopping in Aldi when she was alerted to an incident in Brungerley Park after her sister text her to ask 'if the kids were OK'.
She immediately 'rushed' home to check on her children, but Alyssa was not there.
Alyssa was tragically found unresponsive in a secluded area of the park 'just a few minutes away' from her family home, where she often walked the family dog and had previously built dens with her brother.
Shortly after being discovered, the young teen passed away at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital.
Following her daughter's death, Ms Firth blamed social media platforms for 'trivialising suicide', believing that the videos and content Alyssa was exposed to 'failed to make her understand the severity of her actions'.
She said: 'I don't ever want to let her name die with her. I want to keep her name alive.
'I will always advocate for children's mental health. It's two years since and it still doesn't feel real. It doesn't feel like it's happened to me.'
Alyssa's family - including her dad, Chris Morris, 36, and siblings, Poppy, 11, Jenson, 14 and Daniella, 17 - have been fundraising for Papyrus, a mental health charity for young people, alongside Chester Hospital and the firefighters.
They hope that by sharing their story, they can help keep Alyssa's memory alive and raise awareness of the dangers of social media and online bullying.
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit samaritans.org.
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