Social Media Dangers for Vulnerable Teens
A Leeds woman whose daughter killed herself says the internet can be dangerous for vulnerable teenagers.
A Leeds woman whose daughter killed herself has told Radio Aire the internet can be dangerous for vulnerable teenagers.
18-year-old Lily Cleal had recently had an amicable split from her boyfriend and was worried life would become difficult when they started seeing other people.
But her mum Kate thinks social media made things worse.
“30 years ago you’d have had a heated phone call in the hall of your house, which your whole family would overhear," she told us.
"You’d put the phone down and it would all be over.
“It’s not the case now. They’ve all got their own phones. You maybe look at them late at night in your bed. It can be a very isolating thing if you’re vulnerable.
“Nobody puts miserable photos of themselves on Facebook. They’re out there and they’re having a good time. You’ve got that teenage prevalence for ‘Fear of Missing Out’.
“With the likes of Facebook, Whatsapp, Snapchat and smartphones, it is 24/7. There is no let up.”
The night Lily took her own life, she called a friend to say she was feeling down and wanted a cuddle. The A-Level student also called 999 but by the time paramedics got to her home in Leeds, she was already dead.
Kate now campaigns for the charity Papyrus, which aims to prevent young suicides. Although she doesn’t blame social media for her daughter’s death, she does think that websites could help prevent suicides by actively promoting helpline numbers.
“Particularly as Facebook will be party to things like dates of birth and all that key personal data, they could target a specific demographic and say ‘don’t feel alone if you’re feeling like this,’" she says.
“It’s not inevitable that if you feel that way, you end up taking your own life. The more we can point that out, then the greater effect it will have.”
We spoke to Facebook and they told us they didn’t have a specific comment to make about Lily’s case but for some years they have been collaborating with the Samaritans on a suicide prevention/assistance feature.
If a user thinks a friend is in need of support, they can use a form in the Help Centre to let Facebook and the Samaritans know. Trained Samaritans supporters can then make contact and potentially intervene. There’s more information on this scheme HERE.
Facebook has also produced a guide called ‘Help a Friend in Need’ which helps people identify if one of their friends is going through a hard time. It can be downloaded HERE.