A mother from Sydney, whose 15-year-old daughter, Matilda “Tilly” Rosewarne, tragically ended her own life due to severe cyberbullying on social media, called for global changes at a New York event tied to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. She advocated for banning children under 16 from social media and for holding technology companies financially responsible.

In her emotional address, Emma Mason recounted her daughter’s last moments as she attempted suicide for the twelfth and final time on February 16, 2022.

“My brave little girl, determined to look pretty, put on her makeup one last time,” Mason said. “She had planned this moment out in detail. … Exhausted and broken, she just couldn’t fight anymore. She climbed on top of the backyard tree house, she slipped the noose around her neck, and stepped off into whatever experience eventually awaits all of us.”

Tilly was found by her father and 13-year-old sister, who ran into the backyard alone to find her big sister lifeless. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke after Mason’s address, critiquing apps for engaging and addicting children with manipulative algorithms designed to drive profits for tech companies.

“This business is not for charity, but parents live with the risks and harms of this every single day,” von der Leyen stated. “Cyberbullying, the encouragement of self-harm, online predators, addictive algorithms. It is up to us to step up for the next generation.”