The father of Mia Janin has called on the Government to stand up to Goliath social media companies amid fears not enough is being done to tackle cyber bullying.
Speaking to GB News, Mariano Janin spoke emotionally about his 14-year-old daughter who "had her whole life ahead of her" before she tragically ended it after being bullied online.
An inquest into Mia's death found that she had been subjected to bullying on platforms Snapchat and TikTok before she took her own life.
Recalling how his daughter was behaving before her death, Mr Janin told GB News that he and his late wife hadn't noticed "anything wrong".
He said: "She was a lovely, normal 14-year-old girl. We didn't notice anything, because it happened the first day after the second lockdown.
"So she used to be with her notebook, doing homework, and it happened after the first day. It was so sudden.
"My late wife Marissa, she passed away four months after Mia. I think she used to watch Mia's phone, but we never noticed anything."
Mr Janin expressed his frustration at his inability to access the evidence found on Mia's phone, revealing the police "lost one phone and lost the sim card on another".
Mariano Janin has pleaded with the Government to implement a social media ban on under-16s after losing his daughter Mia
|GB NEWS / MARIANO JANIN
He explained: "I never got to access what they found on the phone, the police lost one of the phones and the SIM card on the other one, and I never sat with them to see the evidence.
"We knew that there was a video that was passed around, and the school asked all the kids after Mia passed away to delete it. Even the second coroner didn't find this suspicious, that evidence was probably deleted after the investigation started."
Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Janin told GB News that he believes the consultation is not required as issues surrounding children's use of social media have been stark for decades.
He said: "Personally, I don't think we need this consultation. As you can see on the news today, the comparison to smoking and social media, it is information that we have had for many years.
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Mia Janin took her own life after being bullied on social media
|GB NEWS / MARIANO JANIN
"And not only in England, but in Australia and United States, and in Germany. So we don't need any probes."
Mr Janin called for action in two vital areas in order to implement tougher curbs on the use of social media for youngsters.
He argued: "What I would like from Government is mainly two things. First of all, I want the companies, social media companies, to be responsible and accountable.
"They have the technology and the means to change this. They need to change the business model and put morals over profit. And unfortunately, I think only Government can stand in front of these Goliath companies to build a robust legal framework. This is what I was expecting."
Mr Janin told GB News that Mia was a 'bubbly, normal 14-year-old girl'
|GB NEWS
Mr Janin warned that parents are now facing a generation of children who are "stuck to screens", and it is both "addictive" and "harmful" to young children.
He concluded: "I think the real solution will come from the United States when these companies are based and where the companies are created.
"But we need to be ready and we need to do as much as we can because we are just facing a generation of young people who don't have social interaction, who cannot communicate, who get very frustrated in seconds if things are not happening in the speed of the screens, and they are stuck to the screens.
"These young people are part of the future of the country, and we have a problem. We cannot hide the problem. It's addictive, it's harmful."
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.