A 13-year-old boy has tragically died after an Instagram live video went horribly wrong.

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Malachi Hemphill was holding the gun and chatting to his friends when he accidentally pulled the trigger, shooting a bullet straight into his head. His mum Shaniqua Stephens has described the moment she heard the noise come from his room:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZWlA1h17Kg

So sad – you just can’t even begin to comprehend the shock and pain that this family must feel. Stephens is now urging other parents to monitor their kids on social media as much as possible.

This isn’t the first time that this has happened. In fact, social media deaths are becoming worryingly common. A few months back Katelyn David live streamed her suicide and just weeks after this, Nakia Venant, 14, did the same. To try and prevent these tragic incidents from occurring, Facebook is now working with The Samaritans to reach out to people posting concerning material.

With regards to this story, the question should also be raised about gun control. After all, Americans are statistically more likely to be killed by their own kid accidentally shooting them with a gun that they are to be killed by a terrorist attack. Stopping the supply of guns would be a good place to start.