Suicide and Social Media

This toolkit is designed to help community managers understand: What to look for concerning suicidal content in an online community, When to respond to community members who have made statements related to suicide, and How to approach situations with at-risk individuals so that a community member can be connected to the appropriate resources.

There is a lack of evidence about safe and helpful online peer-to-peer communication about suicide, and there is little guidance available to help young people safely discuss suicide online. This project aimed to develop a set of evidence-informed guidelines that could help young people communicate safely online about suicide.

Mental health, non-suicidal self-harm, and suicide themes on social media continue to be an issue both youth and adults face on a daily basis. Experts recognize that youth engagement with social media includes positive and negative aspects, and the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) aims to help maximize the benefits while reducing any potential harm.…