The extent to which Australians are exposed to – and create – social media content about self-harm and suicide has been quantified for the first time in a new study from Orygen, which found young people (15 to 25) were four times more likely to encounter this kind of content than older age groups.
The study, published today in BMC Public Health, analysed survey responses from 3,549 people and found over half had been exposed to self-harm and suicide-related content, despite the fact fewer than 1 in 5 people (19 per cent) had actively searched for it. Across all age groups 63 per cent of people said that seeing this kind of content worsened their mood.
The survey also revealed that some people engaged in self-harm as a result of seeing the content, and this was also more common in young people.
Lead author and Head of Suicide Prevention at Orygen, Professor Jo Robinson, said it was concerning how many young people were seeing potentially distressing or harmful posts without seeking them out.
“Our findings show that not only are the majority of young people online exposed to self-harm and suicide-related content, most find it distressing and an important minority find it harmful. We urgently need to take action here, but simply restricting access to under 16s doesn’t adequately address this issue,” Professor Robinson said.
“On their 16th birthday, if young people are suddenly exposed to self-harm and suicide content on social media, how do we expect them to navigate it?
“We’ve always advocated for more regulation of social media platforms and better education – because while a ban on under 16s sounds like an easy solution, it risks letting these big tech companies off the hook, and leaves anyone over the age of 16 to fend for themselves.”
The study also explored the extent to which social media is used to seek support for self-harm and suicide .
“Young people in particular were more likely to seek help through social media, with many citing the fact it was free and accessible, and allowed them to seek help without feeling like a burden to others, Professor Robinson said.”
“A small but important group also sought help online because they couldn't access professional help offline, and it’s concerning that social media restrictions potentially take away this avenue for support for young people.”
“At the same time these restrictions shift focus away from the platforms whose algorithms serve up this content to potentially vulnerable young people aged 16 to 25.”
“We also need to provide offline supports to young people who currently look to social media for information and connection, educate young people and their families about how to talk safely about self-harm and suicide, and work to make online spaces safer for everyone.”
More about the study:
- The study analysed data from 3,549 individuals (895 young people and 2,654 adults).
- 51.6 per cent had been exposed to self-harm or suicide-related content on social media.
- Young people with a lived experience of suicidal ideation, self-harm and/or suicide had greater odds of exposure compared to those who did not.
- The study was also the first in Australia to quantify the extent to which people found the safety strategies used by social media platforms helpful – finding young people and those with lived experience were more likely to find strategies such a content warnings, educational content and inclusion of helplines useful.
- Orygen’s Suicide Prevention team have developed the #chatsafe resources to support young people, educators, parents and carers to talk openly and safely about self-harm and suicide, explore the resources here.