Using Facebook to tackle teen suicide

Article

Teens meet on Facebook to talk about suicide

My Comments

I have often heard remarks about the negative influence of Facebook and other social networks on teenagers’ lives and how they use these services. But this article has highlighted how a group of teenagers have used this service to reach out to teenagers on this sensitive topic by setting up an open group which can act as a forum on this topic.

They took the fact that nearly every teenager has Facebook presence and they often vent their feelings on their Facebook Wall as I have seen before. This group effectively became a forum to raise a subject that is normally considered taboo. I had a look at the forum and there were even images and referenced to people who have lost people that were close to them in this manner.

I would like to see this group exposed not just to Australian media but to worldwide media because this isn’t just an Australian issue but a worldwide issue.

For further help on this topic, I have published a list of some of the organisations looking in to the suicide and depression issue but there will be a similar organisation operation close to you.