Dark side of social media: Rising suicide rates among teens and influencers

Recent studies have shown certain types of social media use are linked to increased suicidal thoughts, attempts, and risk, particularly in teens.

While social media sites facilitate social connection, they may also have harmful features including cyber-bullying, toxic content, social comparison, and exposure to suicide-related content.

Below are key issues, research results, and examples from everyday life that help illustrate how social media contributes to increased suicide risk.

Core Risks and processes

Cyber bullying

Consistent cyber harassment can worsen clinical depression and anxiety, and amplify feelings of despair. Such consequences can compel silence in victims.

For example, depression can help explain the online harassment-suicidal idealisation connection.

Exposure to suicide content

The exposure of social media users to posts about suicides, self-harm and suicide pacts can trigger and normalize suicidal thoughts. Certain social media practices, including commenting, re-sharing, and discussing suicide, are linked to the transition from having suicidal thoughts to attempts.

Addictive use and screen time consumption

Incessant social comparison to idealized images and lifestyles can cause a drop in self-esteem. Excessive and problematic use of social media in such situations aggravates the risk. Studies indicate that the suicide rate among 10-24 year olds in the U.S. dramatically increased in the period between 2007 and 2021 and ask themselves how much of a contribution is attributed to social media. 

Examples

One of the teenagers who took her own life was Molly Russell of Britain in 2017. Her inquest also partly blamed her depression due to constant exposure to traumatic online content on Instagram, Pinterest, and the like. 

Another example that has been cited is Megan Meier, an American teenager who committed suicide in 2006 after being cyberbullied via MySpace, including through a parody account. This is one of the cases that are used to discuss the tragic consequences of online harassment.

Conclusions and suggestions

Social media is not the ultimate cause of suicide, but it can increase the pre-existing vulnerabilities and serve as a motivator to self-injury and suicide.

To reduce risk

Social media need to enhance the process of moderation, restrict access to harmful posts and label high-risk messages. Youth ought to be taught the importance of healthy social media use in schools, by parents, and mental health professionals.

The society ought to be able to establish strong support networks: access to mental health-related resources, crisis hotlines, safe online communities, and content creator guidance.

These risks are crucial to understand and deal with and the more younger generations grow connected to social media as a part of their everyday life, the more crucial it is to understand them.