Overview

• A 29-year-old woman from Merton, London, has been arrested on suspicion of encouraging or assisting the suicide of 17-year-old Vlad Nikolin-Caisley, who died in May 2024.
• The teenager had joined an online suicide forum, which is now under investigation by Ofcom for potential non-compliance with the Online Safety Act.
• Ofcom launched its investigation in April 2025 after the forum provider gave limited responses to requests for information about protecting users from illegal content.
• The forum, which has tens of thousands of members, is reportedly linked to at least 50 UK deaths, with some sources suggesting the figure could be as high as 97.
• Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must implement systems to protect users from harmful content or face fines up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue, or potential blocking.