Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health Perspective

2012/03/08 by David D. Luxton, Jennifer D. June, Jonathan M. Fairall · 465 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · Medicine · Nursing · #Suicide and Self-Harm Studies #Impact of Technology on Adolescents #Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression #Perspective (graphical) #Public health #Social media #Suicide prevention #The Internet #Poison control #Public relations #Injury prevention #Human factors and ergonomics #Psychology #Medicine #Environmental health #Criminology #Social psychology #Political science #Computer science #Nursing

paper · open access · doi:10.2105/ajph.2011.300608

published in American Journal of Public Health 102(S2), S195-S200 (American Public Health Association)

openalex publication_date 2012/03/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that the Internet and social media can influence suicide-related behavior. Important questions are whether this influence poses a significant risk to the public and how public health approaches might be used to address the issue. To address these questions, we provide an overview of ways that social media can influence suicidal behavior, both negatively and positively, and we evaluate the evidence of the risk. We also discuss the legal complexities of this important topic and propose future directions for research and prevention programs based on a public health perspective.

Citations

• Sadness, Suicide, and Their Association with Video Game and Internet Overuse among Teens: Results from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2007 and 2009
• Googling Suicide
• Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media
• Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Suicide
• Suicide pacts and the internet

Cited by

• Social media and suicide [wikipedia]

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