Facebook launches new products to offer
increased support to prevent suicide and
self-harm
A Facebook tool which let people flag
posts from friends who may be at risk
for self-harm or suicide, and previously
available only for some English-language
users has been updated and is now
available worldwide to all users.
According to a report on TechCrunch ,
other users could report posts through a
form , but the new tools make the
process quicker and less complicated.
Announcing the new tool, Facebook said
its suicide prevention resources will be
available in all languages supported by
the platform. The company’s global
head of safety Antigone Davis and
researcher Jennifer Guadagno wrote
that the tools were “developed in
collaboration with mental health
organizations and with input from people
who have personal experience with self-
injury and suicide.”
“Now, with the help of these new tools,
if someone posts something on
Facebook that makes you concerned
about their well-being, you can reach out
to them directly — and you also can also
report the post to us. We have teams
working around the world, 24/7, who
review reports that come in. They
prioritize the most serious reports like
self-injury.”
“And, as of today, the resources we
send to the person who posted
something concerning will include an
expanded set of options. People can
now choose to reach out to a friend,
contact a helpline, or see tips.”
“If you or someone you know is in crisis,
it is important to call local emergency
services right away. You can also visit
our Help Centre for information about
how to support yourself or a
friend: https://www.Facebook.com/
help/594991777257121/ .”
The tools were first made available to
some users in the United States last
year with the help of Forefront, Lifeline ,
and Save.org . Facebook said it will
continue to partner with suicide
prevention and mental health
organizations in different countries
wrote Techcrunch. The suicide
prevention tools will help save a lot of
lives or bring attention to this important
issue which has become a public health
concern as one person commits suicide
every 40 seconds according to the
World Health Organization (WHO).
With the new tool, users everywhere will
soon be able to flag a friend’s post from
a drop-down menu if they are worried
about self-harm or suicide. Facebook
gives them several options. For
example, a list of resources, including
numbers for suicide prevention
organizations, can be shared
anonymously, or a message of support
can be sent (Facebook suggests
wording). The post may also be
reviewed by Facebook’s global
community operations team, which may
then “reach out to this person with
information that might be helpful to
them,” according to its Help Center. If
someone is at immediate risk of hurting
themselves, however, Facebook warns
that police should be contacted.
You can view this video, created by
Save.org and Lifeline titled “From
Reporting to Supporting: Using Facebook
to Support Someone in Suicidal Crisis” –
https://Vimeo.com/160565004 .
However, there are concerns regarding
privacy which Facebook has to address
as there have been cases where
psychological researches have been
conducted on users without their
consent.
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