Online Safety When Considering Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Content: Qualitative Focus Group Study With Young People, Policy Makers, and Social Media Industry Professionals
BackgroundYoung people are disproportionately impacted by self-harm and suicide, and concerns exist regarding the role of social media and exposure to unsafe content. Governments and social media companies have taken various approaches to address online safety for young peopl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| Online Access: | https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e66321 |
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| author | Louise La Sala Amanda Sabo Maria Michail Pinar Thorn Michelle Lamblin Vivienne Browne Jo Robinson |
| author_facet | Louise La Sala Amanda Sabo Maria Michail Pinar Thorn Michelle Lamblin Vivienne Browne Jo Robinson |
| author_sort | Louise La Sala |
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BackgroundYoung people are disproportionately impacted by self-harm and suicide, and concerns exist regarding the role of social media and exposure to unsafe content. Governments and social media companies have taken various approaches to address online safety for young people when it comes to self-harm and suicide; however, little is known about whether key stakeholders believe current approaches are fit-for-purpose.
ObjectiveFrom the perspective of young people, policy makers and professionals who work within the social media industry, this study aimed to explore (1) the perceived challenges and views regarding young people communicating on social media about self-harm and suicide, and (2) what more social media companies and governments could be doing to address these issues and keep young people safe online.
MethodsThis qualitative study involved 6 focus groups with Australian young people aged 12-25 years (n=7), Australian policy makers (n=14), and professionals from the global social media industry (n=7). Framework analysis was used to summarize and chart the data for each stakeholder group.
ResultsIn total, 3 primary themes and six subthemes are presented: (1) challenges and concerns, including the reasons for, and challenges related to, online communication about self-harm and suicide as well as reasoning with a deterministic narrative of harm; (2) roles and responsibilities regarding online safety and suicide prevention, including who is responsible and where responsibility starts and stops, as well as the need for better collaborations; and (3) future approaches and potential solutions, acknowledging the limitations of current safety tools and policies, and calling for innovation and new ideas.
ConclusionsOur findings highlight tensions surrounding roles and responsibilities in ensuring youth online safety and offer perspectives on how social media companies can support young people discussing self-harm and suicide online. They also support the importance of cross-industry collaborations and consideration of social media in future suicide prevention solutions intended to support young people. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-080de164f50842d19bb01a63782b3ca8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1438-8871 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-080de164f50842d19bb01a63782b3ca82025-08-20T02:57:55ZengJMIR PublicationsJournal of Medical Internet Research1438-88712025-03-0127e6632110.2196/66321Online Safety When Considering Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Content: Qualitative Focus Group Study With Young People, Policy Makers, and Social Media Industry ProfessionalsLouise La Salahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6736-6977Amanda Sabohttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9616-9860Maria Michailhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7380-3494Pinar Thornhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4686-574XMichelle Lamblinhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4085-8637Vivienne Brownehttps://orcid.org/0009-0009-9678-9256Jo Robinsonhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5652-918X BackgroundYoung people are disproportionately impacted by self-harm and suicide, and concerns exist regarding the role of social media and exposure to unsafe content. Governments and social media companies have taken various approaches to address online safety for young people when it comes to self-harm and suicide; however, little is known about whether key stakeholders believe current approaches are fit-for-purpose. ObjectiveFrom the perspective of young people, policy makers and professionals who work within the social media industry, this study aimed to explore (1) the perceived challenges and views regarding young people communicating on social media about self-harm and suicide, and (2) what more social media companies and governments could be doing to address these issues and keep young people safe online. MethodsThis qualitative study involved 6 focus groups with Australian young people aged 12-25 years (n=7), Australian policy makers (n=14), and professionals from the global social media industry (n=7). Framework analysis was used to summarize and chart the data for each stakeholder group. ResultsIn total, 3 primary themes and six subthemes are presented: (1) challenges and concerns, including the reasons for, and challenges related to, online communication about self-harm and suicide as well as reasoning with a deterministic narrative of harm; (2) roles and responsibilities regarding online safety and suicide prevention, including who is responsible and where responsibility starts and stops, as well as the need for better collaborations; and (3) future approaches and potential solutions, acknowledging the limitations of current safety tools and policies, and calling for innovation and new ideas. ConclusionsOur findings highlight tensions surrounding roles and responsibilities in ensuring youth online safety and offer perspectives on how social media companies can support young people discussing self-harm and suicide online. They also support the importance of cross-industry collaborations and consideration of social media in future suicide prevention solutions intended to support young people.https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e66321 |
| spellingShingle | Louise La Sala Amanda Sabo Maria Michail Pinar Thorn Michelle Lamblin Vivienne Browne Jo Robinson Online Safety When Considering Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Content: Qualitative Focus Group Study With Young People, Policy Makers, and Social Media Industry Professionals Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| title | Online Safety When Considering Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Content: Qualitative Focus Group Study With Young People, Policy Makers, and Social Media Industry Professionals |
| title_full | Online Safety When Considering Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Content: Qualitative Focus Group Study With Young People, Policy Makers, and Social Media Industry Professionals |
| title_fullStr | Online Safety When Considering Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Content: Qualitative Focus Group Study With Young People, Policy Makers, and Social Media Industry Professionals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Online Safety When Considering Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Content: Qualitative Focus Group Study With Young People, Policy Makers, and Social Media Industry Professionals |
| title_short | Online Safety When Considering Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Content: Qualitative Focus Group Study With Young People, Policy Makers, and Social Media Industry Professionals |
| title_sort | online safety when considering self harm and suicide related content qualitative focus group study with young people policy makers and social media industry professionals |
| url | https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e66321 |
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