Facebook is introducing new tools to help prevent suicides. Working with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Now Matters Now, and other mental health organizations, users of the social network can report any posts they see where the author expresses suicidal thoughts or indicates they may be self-harming, with the possibility of a response from Facebook to the affected individual designed to help them.
Reported posts will be reviewed by teams working around the clock, prioritizing the more serious reports. Individuals deemed to need some sort of help will see a post at the top of their newsfeed when they next log in, advising of the report and suggesting they get some support. Options include being connected to an expert at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, reaching out to a friend, and extra advice on how they could work through these thoughts.
Extra support is also provided to the individual who flagged the post in the first place, from sending more messages or making a call to the friend. They can also be connected to a trained professional for further assistance.
The new suicide prevention reporting tool is being rolled out to Facebook users in the United States over the coming months, with the social network also working on improving its tools for international users.
