Kids looking for clicks & dying for likes is tip of the digital iceberg – how many more will die before decisive action?

TEENAGERS, as both Shakespeare and worrying parents have long testified, have always been inveterate risk-takers. But where once upon an innocent time 17-year-olds got their thrills from a quick fumble in the back row of the cinema, or drinking cider in a park, now the stakes are so much higher. And lethal. Flowers were laid outside of Cleveland Police HQ in tribute to the two dead officers Credit: PA Close friends Theo Rae, 17, (left) and Cole Worthy, 17, both died in the crash Credit: Facebook/Theo Rae Take the awful, awful case of the fatal car crash which killed two police officers and five young men on Saturday. PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades died when a Volkswagen Passat, which officers had been pursuing until seconds before, collided with their marked armed response car on the A66 near Middlesbrough. Two brave, decent men killed so cruelly and so utterly needlessly. My thoughts are with their friends, family and colleagues — victims, all of them. The young men’s car had been speeding the wrong way down a dual carriageway. Two of the youngsters in the car had shared high-speed police chase videos. Kids looking for clicks, dying for likes. The Government has urged social media companies to remove such posts, as Andy Burnham branded sharing them “truly reprehensible”. It was, quite literally, an accident waiting to happen. Because filmed high-speed car chases have become a terrifying “thing” on this app, one which averages around two BILLION users monthly. PC Matthew Blades’ was killed in the horrific car crash Credit: PA PC Tom Clough tragically died in the horror collision Credit: PA Other current or recent trends include “bridge jumping”, which is every bit as dangerous as it sounds, “chroming”, which sees youngsters inhaling from household objects to get high, and a challenge which involves consuming excessive amounts of over-the-counter allergy medication to trigger hallucinations. Of course, parents have a responsibility in all of this, to do all they can to monitor their children’s online viewing. But that is easier said than done. Stateside, a landmark trial against Meta — the owner of Facebook and Instagram — started last Tuesday. According to prosecuting lawyer Megan O’Neill, the company’s business model can be boiled down to four words: Hook, hold, harvest and hide. It is alleged the world’s largest social media company “hooks” in users, “holds” them on its platforms for as long as possible, “harvests” their data and then “hides” the truth from the public. If proven, sinister stuff, for sure. California — where its HQ lies — has joined 28 other US states in suing the £1trillion company for allegedly designing addictive products that lead to children being harmed. The reckoning for social media over here surely follows. Not if, but when. Jacob Matusiak, 23, was one of the passengers in the car Credit: Facebook/Jakub Hewitt Michael Cahill, 23, died in the crash Credit: Facebook/Michael Ray Makai Saddington, 18, also died Credit: Facebook/Makai Saddington Social media, something that started out as a way of bridging long-lost friends and making our online world ever smaller, has so many positives. Community, charity en- deavours, humour and irreverence. It has allowed anyone, irrespective of class, colour or sex, to forge a career path that simply did not exist 20 years ago. In that sense, it is meritocratic and should be lauded. But now so many kids see influencing as their get-out-of-jail-free card, a means to make millions from the comfort of their smartphones. Not surprisingly, we are also seeing a mental health epidemic, with young people glued to their phones, seeking validation from strangers. Dangerous driving is the tip of the digital iceberg. How many more people must die before decisive action is taken? PYJAMA DRAMA THOUGHTS and prayers with John Barrowman at this difficult time. The former Doctor Who star launched into a tirade about his recent business-class flight from LA to London . . . bemoaning the lack of free pyjamas. “The tickets were very expensive and we get on thinking we’d get pyjamas with the flagship service,” he whined on X. “Then you apparently only give them to the first two rows in business class. What’s that all about?” That’s about time you lost your entitlement, pal. Beckhams – from salad scoffer to the veneer-ly normal Cruz took to social media to plug his new record, and DIDN’T have gleaming white veneers Credit: instagram.com/cruzbeckham IF David Attenborough had been narrating the Beckham family last week, he’d have had a field day. First up, we were treated to a very rare sighting of Victoria Beckham eating. A creature infrequently spotted before food, here she was heartily tucking into a salad while on holiday. Granted, this is largely the same meal she has apparently eaten daily for the past 25 years, but still, eagle-eyed watchers rarely get to see the process. Indeed, the number of times she has been pictured actually consuming food can probably be counted on one hand. And then, three days later, almost an equally unheard-of phenomenon: Man with normal teeth. Youngest Cruz, who is rapidly proving to be the funniest member of the clan, took to social media to plug his new record, and DIDN’T have gleaming white veneers. Something, as Attenborough would surely testify, that is a sight to behold in the modern animal kingdom. And long may it continue. BEES' BUZZ, I GIT IT IF I had my time again, I’d come back as a Brentford supporter. On Saturday afternoon I took my father to watch Spurs get trounced 3-0 at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium. Tottenham were terrible, but absolutely everything about the Bees was first-rate. Chatting to a member of the backroom staff in the corporate lounge at half-time, he told me the club had a “no d***head-signing policy”. Alas, unlike my own club. Another highlight was meeting this gent. After homing in on his Old Git shirt, I asked this local legend where I could get a similar one made for my poor dad. “Not in the official Brentford shop,” replied Mr Git (I’d had three pints by the time we started chatting so failed to ask the lovely man his name). “They told me ‘Old Git’ was discriminatory, so I had to go to Snappy Snaps to get it printed.” Brilliant. A HIGH KICK BY GIO Giovanni Pernice has opened up on the ‘bullying’ row for the first time in his new memoir Credit: PA GIOVANNI PERNICE’S recently serialised autobiography couldn’t have made for fun reading for BBC bosses. The Sicilian dancer, let go from Strictly Come Dancing in the wake of his torrid falling-out with Amanda Abbington, lashed out in spectacular fashion. Effectively accusing the corporation of failing in its duty of care to him, he also threw the current crop of pros under the bus. “There are still people on Strictly whose behaviour is far worse,” he writes. “Others drink before the live show. Yet I’m paying the price because I danced with a woman I don’t think should have been on the show in the first place, who didn’t like my teaching style.” A gentleman scorned. . . Harry and Meg heading back CAN’T say I shared the same breathy excitement as much of the population upon discovering Meghan and Harry are headed back to these shores. Certainly, in the past – and on this page – I’ve questioned some of their motives, and haven’t always been an uber-fan. But times move, and people change. And Harry’s Invictus Games is a truly brilliant and worthy initiative, one that deserves all the plaudits. Here’s to them making a fresh start, reconciling with Charles, and generally new beginnings. Meme of the week Credit: supplied BACK in my day we had Trolls: Little creatures with furry, bright colours, upturned hair, stocky, plasticky bodies and smiling faces. Thirty odd years later, here we are again. Apparently, this purple- haired K Pop doll, below left, is on Gen Alpha’s Most Wanted Christmas list. The resemblance is sort-of uncanny.