Is Social Media Making Self-Harm Worse For Teens?

[Guest]

Despite efforts of social media sites to curb the amount of disturbing material their users post online, images of self-harm, like “cutting,” continue to surface on sites like Instagram and Tumblr. The most popular social media sites have since 2012 outlined policies for images or posts about self-harm, whether glorifying cutting, suicide or eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.Prohibiting certain hashtags related with self harm could prevent access to posts that allow people to get help, social media sites have explained in the past. A hashtag could also be used to provide information about phone numbers to call or facilities to visit when facing mental health challenges.