My little sister killed herself at 13… I didn’t know why – then I checked her phone and saw all the disturbing videos

FUNNY, extroverted and happy. Those are just some of the words the family of Blake Gallier, from Northfleet, Kent, use to describe her. Blake Gallier took her own life at just 13 – now her family are speaking out Credit: Cover Images Tayla, left, and Blake Gallier, right. Blake tragically died after taking her own life Credit: Cover Images But tragically the 13-year-old was found dead at her own home on October 30 last year just one month after her birthday. She had taken her own life. Shockingly the teen had been viewing “disturbing” content online via social media, having been fed it by algorithms. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! Her mum Gemma, 47, and sister Tayla are now speaking out so other families don’t suffer like they have. Gemma had no idea what Blake was watching. Read more on social media ban Blake, left, with her mum Gemma, right Credit: Cover Images Blake had been watching disturbing content on her phone, but her family were unaware Credit: Cover Images “Children that age are on their phones and I think social media was a big issue for Blake,” she says. “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.” Her sister Tayla, 19, adds: “When we got her phone back, we saw how many disturbing videos she was seeing. It only takes one bad night, and you like something you relate to, and then that is all the algorithm shows you. “They are seeing videos normalising ending your life. I do not think young people can fully comprehend what ending their own life means at that age. Most read in Fabulous “We were completely unaware of the things that she was seeing online. It made it very apparent that no young person should be on social media seeing those things.” Both Gemma and Tayla, who work in Marks & Spencer, now support the Raise The Age campaign to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s. Gemma says: “After going through what we have gone through, I 100% 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.” Tayla said there was no suggestion Blake was struggling with her mental health before she died. “Blake was really happy,” she said. “She was an extrovert, funny and hilarious. She was the life and soul of the party. “She was confident… just phenomenal. “She was the youngest and 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 recalls how you could “hear Blake from a mile away.” “She was completely full of life,” she remembers. Blake’s Pink Promise, which has already funded counselling for 76 pupils across four Gravesend schools, is currently in the process of being registered with the Charity Commission. Gemma says it is important to target children as young as seven, as she believes Blake must have been struggling from a young age. She continues: “It could happen to anyone. I would love to say ‘It will never happen again’ but I can’t.” Tayla, who also runs a baking company called Taysty Bakes, adds: “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.” For her work with the charity, store manager Gemma won Marks & Spencer’s Remarkable Woman Award. In June, the government announced that children under 16 will be banned from social media including apps such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. It is hoped the measure will pass before Christmas, with the ban coming in by spring 2027. An inquest into Blake’s death is due to be held later this year. How to get help EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858 Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk HUMEN www.wearehumen.org Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393 Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41 Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123 Comment now