Facebook Adds Suicide Prevention Tools
Facebook has recently introduced new tools designed to prevent suicide in Japan, where it is a leading cause of death. The new tools, previously released in the United States on June 14, include a V-shaped symbol on the upper right-hand corner of the screen that can be pressed to flag and report that a user is concerned about a post being suicidal. This is great news in suicide prevention as people across the world can now flag a message as one that could raise concern about suicide or self-harm. After a post is flagged, those posts will then come to the attention of Facebook’s global community operations team, a group of hundreds of people around the world who monitor flagged posts 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Kumiko Hidaka, a Facebook spokeswoman in Japan said, “Thanks to this update, Facebook can offer more generous support to help people who post a message suggesting bad physical and mental conditions.” If Facebook users report a concern about suicide, they are invited to complete other functions on Facebook, such as sending a direct message, consulting another Facebook friend or reading information from specialists. The new tool aims to give friends and family more resources when they think a loved one needs help. Facebook partnered with the Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and Forefront to develop the tool
Further, the person who wrote the flagged post will also see a page that says someone is concerned about when they log into their account the next time. With all of the attention given to how many “likes” posts and pictures receive, just knowing someone is aware of the Facebook user could help them to reconsider their suicidal feelings.
The website upi.com reports that, “Facebook dominates among online networks – about 72 percent of Americans, and 77 percent of U.S. women use Facebook, according to Pew Research. Suicide has reached a 30-year-high in the United States, particularly among women and middle-aged Americans.
In Japan, 24,025 deaths were reported as suicides in 2015, according to the National Police Agency. Suicide in Japan was also the most common cause of death among people between the ages of 15 and 39 in 2014.” (upi.com)
Source: Elizabeth Shim, upi.com