Princess Bliss Dickson, a 16-year-old influencer, died by suicide in early February. Princess Dickson suffered online abuse and bullying for two years before her death, starting when she was 14 years old. Trolls created fake accounts to monitor Princess Dickson's TikToks and ridicule her in the comments. The specific mental health support or interventions provided to Princess Dickson during this period have not been publicly detailed.
Much of the abuse against Princess Dickson stemmed from the website Tattle Life, which her mother Sophie-May Dickson dubbed a 'troll's paradise'. Sophie-May Dickson, 32, was originally the target of abuse on Tattle Life, with over 10,000 posts about her and her family. When Sophie-May Dickson deleted some of her social media accounts, the trolling attention turned to her daughter Princess. A thread discussing Princess Dickson on Tattle Life remains active. What specific actions, if any, law enforcement or regulatory bodies have taken against Tattle Life in response to the reported abuse remains unclear.
I don't need to be liked by people who don't even like themselves.
Sophie-May Dickson reported the abuse on Tattle Life to Essex Police but was told it was a civil matter. The current status of her reports and any follow-up actions by Essex Police has not been confirmed. It is also unknown whether there are any ongoing investigations or legal proceedings related to the abuse against Princess Dickson or her mother.
Sophie-May Dickson shared photos and video from her daughter's funeral on social media on Thursday, including one with her head against the coffin. Sophie-May Dickson's funeral post was met with backlash and abuse from social media users, who questioned her motives and appearance. Sophie-May Dickson responded to the criticism with a lengthy Instagram story, explaining her actions and denying she posted for views. Sophie-May Dickson hired photographers to cover the funeral so she could remember the day.
It's okay, I would hate me too if I were you.
Trolls on Tattle Life continued to post offensive remarks about Princess Dickson after her death and blamed her mother for it. In an article for The Verve, Dr Jessica Taylor wrote that Tattle Life users mixed abuse with claims they were devastated to have 'lost' Princess. What measures, if any, social media platforms have taken to address the trolling and abuse directed at the Dickson family have not been specified.
Sophie-May Dickson has been in the public eye since appearing on the Channel 5 TV programme 'Blinging Up Baby' in 2014. The case highlights broader concerns about online harassment and the challenges families face in seeking recourse from authorities and platforms.
Mixed in with the abuse were users claiming that Tattle Life was the only place where Princess was ever cared for, that they were devastated to have 'lost her'.
The day I tucked my baby to sleep for the very last time. The hardest goodbye. How do you ever accept kissing your baby for the very last time? I love you princess. You are loved beyond belief. I’ll see you next in heaven girl.
This was the last moment of me with my daughter. I had walked away from casket [sic] many times but it just didn’t feel right to me. Once I collected my belongings from where I sat. My bag and my phone and my order of service booklet I just had to go back. I was ONLY IN THE MOMENT!
So when I saw this peice [sic] of footage along with the 100s of other beautiful pieces of footage, I absolutely adored that those moments were captured and I can always go back to these last moments. And yes I chose to share. So no. In that moment [it] wasn’t about future audience. I am just about to walk away from my baby for the very last time for the rest of my life. I did not broadcast this for views. I saw the person who captured this beautiful moment share it and decided to share it myself.