Suicide and adverse effects of social media

Yesterday the Daily Mirror highlighted the death of a probable suicide by a teenage school girl. The girl had apparently jumped off the 29th floor of a building in the city of Colombo. Suicide is when someone voluntarily takes their own life. Often, this is a way to end an overwhelming hopelessness, frustration or to solve a problem for which they can’t find another solution.  

A young person dying by suicide is devastating to the family, and friends. Parents, siblings, classmates, and neighbours are often left wondering if they could have done something to prevent that young person from turning to suicide. 

According to a study by the University of Kelaniya  suicide is common among Sri Lanka’s younger generation as well. Therefore, taking them into consideration is of great importance as youth determines the development of any country.  

According to a seminar report published by Dr. Neil Fernando, Head of the National Institute of Mental Health in Sri Lanka, said in September 2021, almost 4,000 people die by committing suicide in Sri Lanka every year. The statistics further show that the majority of victims were aged 15 to 44. 

The Kelaniya University study points out a major cause of suicide is the influence of social media. It adds, today’s youngsters have easy access to a large amount of content about suicide on social media, especially on YouTube and Facebook. Themes like drugs, suicide, and violence are also common among the most popular Sinhala songs as well. 

Songs based on these themes are played almost everywhere, such as in public transport, industrial workplaces, and even in roadside shops. This situation has resulted in people remembering and registering the songs in their memory. This has ultimately normalised a suicidal mentality among them. 

The “Blue Whale Challenge” reportedly an online “suicide game” is aimed at teenagers which set 50 tasks over 50 days. The challenge is alleged to be linked to numerous deaths around the world. But little about the “game” was quite as it seemed. 

“Blue Whale Challenge” (also known as the “Blue Whale”), is a social network phenomenon dating from 2016 that exists in several countries. It is a “game” assigned to players by administrators over a 50-day period, initially innocuous before introducing elements of self-harm and the final challenge requiring the player to kill themselves. 
ResearchGate which carried out a study -an analysis of the effects of the Blue Whale Game  on children and young people showed the countries which searched most for Blue Whale are Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Italy. 

The ‘ResearchGate’ study confirmed that a result of examining the cases reported in the game had shown, individuals with negative life experiences tended to be targets.

 
Budeikin the evil mind behind the development of the game ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ claimed he created the game to get rid of ‘creatures’ he described as ‘biological waste who damaged society and that it (Blue Whale) cleansed society from such humans’. 

Negative life experiences often lead to depression, helplessness and isolation. Depression can vary in intensity. While the vast majority of people who suffer depression do not attempt to take their lives, depression is linked to a greater risk of suicide.  

Teens and young adults who attempt suicide often struggle with particular problems such as alcohol or drug misuse, conflict with parents/figures of authority etc. These challenges tend to get worse when they do not receive the support they need. 

In today’s world where predators are awaiting to pounce on innocent unsuspecting young victims, parents need to be especially watchful for changes in behaviour in their children and get timely help. 

Among the leading organisations combating self-harm in Sri Lanka are ‘Sri Lanka Sumithrayo’ -a non-profit body focusing on “Prevention of Suicide”, the CCC Foundation and the Centre for Suicide Prevention.