Facebook rolls out suicide-prevention feature to offer online support

Facebook is rolling out a new suicide-prevention feature. If you spot a worrisome post from a Facebook friend, there will now be an option to report it. Facebook will then review the post, and if it agrees that there is reason for concern, the individual concerned will be presented with a prompt to get help the next time they log in. The page presented reads: “Hi, a friend thinks you might be going through something difficult and asked us to look at your recent post.” The user is then presented with the option of contacting a mental health expert, friend, or getting tips and support online.

Often, friends and family who are the observers in this situation don’t know what to do.

Facebook content strategist Holly Hetherington

They also have a third option of skipping support altogether. Facebook content strategist Holly Hetherington said: “Friends and family are concerned, but they’re worried about saying the wrong thing or somehow making it worse. Socially, mental illness and thoughts about suicide are just not something we talk about.” The new feature will roll out to everyone in the U.S. over the next few weeks. A similar feature could be introduced outside the U.S. further down the line.

Technology Facebook suicide feature