Social media is being used by teens to share images of self-harm
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The influence that social media has over young people’s lives and the dangers it can cause is a topic that causes many a heated debate, and it looks like this won’t be changing any time soon.
With recent statistics showing that between January and December 2020, hashtags relating to self-injury rose from around 68,000 to more than 110,000, it appears social media is continuing to pose a significant danger to the mental health of today’s youth.
What is self-harm?
Mind UK defines self-harm/injury as when an individual ‘harms themselves as a way of dealing with very difficult feelings, painful memories or overwhelming situations and experiences’.
Self-harm is used as a dangerous coping technique and with social media playing such an important role in young people’s lives, online forums have become a place to share and discuss various harming techniques, placing many teens in more vulnerable positions.
Previous research has shown that on a global scale around 17% of adolescents have int...
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