Did you know Facebook is taking a stand to help prevent suicide?
bNetS@vvy recently interviewed Facebook staff about their suicide
prevention efforts and the feature on Facebook that most users may not
know about. The great thing about Facebook is that they have a greater
capacity to reach more people than most other outlets. “Even the smallest message like “how’s it going” or “how did you do on your test” can make a difference in someone’s world.”Hear more of what they had to say: How did you determine the need for the system?We live in a world where people share
everything online and most of it is on Facebook. We really wanted to
recognize that people often cry out for help online and also make sure
they were not ignored. We asked around and found that some users had
encountered situations where they suspected a friend might be in danger
based on status posts but they weren’t sure what to do about it. We
noticed that most times our online community mirrors our personal lives.
How long has this system been available?The feature has been available in the U.S. for 3-4 yrs
Has anyone ever used the feature in the U.S.?Although we cannot report any specific numbers on how many cases are reported, we can say the system does get used.
Explain the process of using this feature?How it works: 1. Facebook user views something on a friends page that is concerning 2. Click on the Facebook “help button” 3. Type “suicide” and follow the instruction for “How do I help someone who has posted suicidal content on the site?” 4. Click the option to “report suicide content to Facebook.” 5. The Facebook team sees the report and verfies the authenticity of it 6. The report is then forwarded to the National Life Line, who then sends it to a local team in that persons city 7. The entire process generally takes 24hrs or lessInstructions are located on the Facebook FAQs page on how to report a
friend you may be concerned about. Go to help center on Facebook and
type “suicide.” It is also important for you to reach out to friends
for a more personal intervention.Websites like take five to save lives show some of the warning signs for suicide. How do you let people know this feature exists?It’s difficult to showcase or
advertise this feature on Facebook because the issue doesn’t affect most
people. We get the information out through educational campaigns and
suicide prevention organizations.
What would you want Facebook users to know about the feature on the site?We want them to know that resources
are available. Hopefully users never have to use the feature, but
Facebook wants to make sure that people who need help will receive it as
quickly and safely as possible. We encourage people to understand the
issue. Facebook would like to encourage more ppl to understand the
issue of suicide. It can be a difficult and painful experience to deal
with but its something we should all know about. Most of us won’t
encounter a situation where we will need to deal with a suicide attempt
but just like CPR, we should all know the warning signs and know how to
help.