“It shouldn’t of happened like this,” she said. “It shouldn’t have happened at all.

“He had told me about an idea. I said, don’t do it, don’t do it. Why are you going to use a gun? Why?

“Because, we want more viewers [he said]. We want to get famous.”

Professor Kerry O'Grady, a communications and PR lecturer from New York University, told The Telegraph the case showed the naivety of many aspiring social media "stars".

"I even hate that term," she said, pointing out that social media success is often fleeting.

"People believe there is quick money, and it's not true. What they forget is that these 'social media stars' were famous before. The Kardashians - they were famous. The Hadid sisters - they are models.

"You need to have a talent, and a plan."

She said parents and schools should do more to warn young people about the siren call of social media stardom, and warn them of the impact it will have on their own lives and other peoples'.

"Social media was not created to make people famous - it was created to build a community. I ask my students: 'What makes you different?' You wouldn't set out on a journey without some form of road map, and it's the same with social media.