Now Reporting Suicidal Posts on Facebook is a Lot Easier

Since past few years, Facebook has grown out of the social media site and has become an integral part of your lives. You hate it or like it, Facebook plays an important role to keep you connected with the people you love and you follow. Facebook has now decided to improve the way it assists its users when there is a need for help by reporting suicidal posts on Facebook. It rolled out a lengthy way to flag suicidal posts in 2011. Now, Facebook is trying to make its suicide prevention measures usable and easy.
Facebook Product Manager Rob Boyle and Safety Specialist Nicole Staubi has written a Facebook post in which they tell that a trained team will be reports of suicidal posts on Facebook and on finding it necessary, it will be sending out notifications partnering with government or NGO resources like National Suicide Prevention Lifeline hotline.
Earlier the users were required to upload screenshots and links of the suicidal posts on Facebook to the official Facebook suicide prevention page.

How new system to report suicidal posts on Facebook works?

Now, if you see a post which might appear suicidal, you can report that post to Facebook. This reporting will trigger a different kind of responses. After flagging the suicidal post of your friend, you will be given the choice to message the suicidal person, message another Facebook friend for advice and support or you can connect with a professional at some suicide helpline.
Now Facebook will do its part. It will review the reported suicidal posts on Facebook and if it appears noteworthy, different support options will be shown to the potentially suicidal person when he/she logs onto Facebook next time. These measures also include videos and online programs to help that person with the advanced coping strategies.
“Often, friends and family who are the observers in this situation don’t know what to do. They’re concerned, but they’re worried about saying the wrong thing or somehow making it worse. Socially, mental illness and thoughts about suicide are just not something we talk about,” said Holly Hetherington, a Facebook content strategist working on the project.


World’s biggest social media site Facebook has more around 1.5 billion users and in partnership with the Forefront: Innovations in Suicide Prevention to support suicidal people. This feature will be initially launched in the US and Facebook has vowed to spread this tool other parts of the world soon.
Also, recently Facebook launched its Internet.org initiative in India to provide basic internet services for free to the users.