If Facebook Has Time To Fight Fake News, It Can Fight Suicide, Too | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

If Facebook Has Time To Fight Fake News, It Can Fight Suicide, Too

She was 12 years old when she live-streamed her own suicide — and the world just watched.

36
If Facebook Has Time To Fight Fake News, It Can Fight Suicide, Too
Rick Fortine / Facebook

"I'm sorry I came into your lives just to leave it this quickly," Katelyn, 12 years old, said during her live-streamed suicide video. Another preteen has claimed her own life, this time during a 40-minute Facebook live stream. Speaking to her cell phone camera, she claimed she had been sexually abused by a stepfather, apologizing profusely to everyone for existing on this earth. How could a 12-year-old child feel that? What does all of this mean to someone so far into a depression they can't see past their nose? Absolutely nothing. Your mind is your biggest enemy in that moment, and it will cause you to do things you wouldn't do normally.

Mental health is something that constantly needs to be reevaluated, including how we approach it. We have to make help more readily available. If somebody can live-stream a suicide to thousands — or even millions — of people and manage to hold their attention for almost an hour, why was there no easy way to get help? We still have adults who think that mental illness is made up, so where do we go from here? How do we get to the preteens and the teenagers that when we offer help we need it?

I'm not sure who failed this child, I can tell you it's not just one person nor the other. Children are constantly left behind in situations. I was one of them. Thankfully, I found my way. I can only hope and pray for the sake of more lives that we start showing more compassion and empathy with these young kids. They turn to social media for everything and usually, they end up getting lost in it all. Instagram still has posts that have kids wanting to die, not being skinny enough, while participating in self-harm.

Something more has to be done, tighter monitoring for social media. They have a program up and coming to help report and stop fake news. Clearly, they have the means.

Even if it's something such as proving who you are and where you live, identities verified with every activated account so if any posts are made they can be investigated in the moment, nobody guessing where the poster is; it goes through the company and directly to the local police department... something. Anything. I've personally watched someone post suicidal things and everyone panics because behind a computer screen, we can only do so much.

But no social media isn't the problem ironically, it's how we deal with it. Kids have been doing these things for years. Anything... more than what we are managing to do. Of course, we don't know how to do it all with social media and young kids yet but they will find a way to use it, even if parents say no. Still, this could've been prevented. A 40-minute video and nobody could get there in time. Nobody?

Really?

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

354
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

1710
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

2427
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments