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In Case You Haven't Heard…
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
mental health weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7583
pISSN - 1058-1103
DOI - 10.1002/mhw.31785
Subject(s) - harm , social media , haven , internet privacy , media studies , psychology , sociology , criminology , law , advertising , political science , business , computer science , mathematics , combinatorics
Instagram announced Feb. 7 that it will ban graphic images of self‐harm, The Hill reported Feb. 8. The change follows a British teen's suicide after viewing such pictures on the social networking app, according to The Associated Press. “Over the past month we have seen that we are not where we need to be on self‐harm and suicide, and that we need to do more to keep the most vulnerable people who use Instagram safe,” the company said in a statement. “It will take time and we have a responsibility to get this right.” The company said that it will not allow “any graphic images of self‐harm, such as cutting on Instagram — even if it would previously have been allowed as admission” and “will not show non‐graphic, self‐harm related content — such as healed scars.” Molly Russell, 14, took her own life after viewing self‐harm images on Instagram, according to the AP. Her father, Ian Russell, said he thinks the images she saw on Instagram contributed to her death. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter met with British Health Secretary Matt Hancock and representatives from a suicide prevention charity before the change was announced, according to the AP.