A surge of teen suicides arising from online bullying have made headlines, and Facebook has noticed. Using the popular social platform as a medium for bullying and expressions of suicide, kids now have a safe place to talk to a crisis counselor about bullying or suicide, in addition to reporting it.
The program launched Tuesday in an effort to make the online social networking giant a safer place.
“One of the big goals here is to get the person in distress into the right help as soon as possible,” Fred Wolens, public policy manager at Facebook, told The Associated Press.
Users can chat with online counselors in addition to reporting offenders. The social platform also provides the phone number to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline any time one of its members searched the term “suicide.”
“The science shows that people experience reductions in suicidal thinking when there is quick intervention,” said Lidia Bernik, associate project director of Lifeline. “We’ve heard from many people who say they want to talk to someone but don’t want to call. Instant message is perfect for that.”
If a Facebook user suspects bullying, or a friend’s suicidal thought, the comment or message can be flagged. Facebook will send an email to the person who posted the suicidal comment or message with the Lifeline hotline number or a link to a confidential chat with a crisis counselor.
“The only people who will have a really good idea of what’s going on is your friends so we’re encouraging them to speak up and giving them an easy and quick way to get help,” Wolens said.
Teens who lost their lives this year due to alleged online bullying included Jamey Rodemeyer, Danielle Orna, Jamie Hubley, and others. Nearly 100 Americans commit suicide each day according to the U.S. Surgeon General.
Facebook’s crisis counseling is available 24 hours a day.
