FACEBOOK 'LIVE' TO HELP PREVENT SUICIDE REAL-TIME
by Meghna Bali/02.03.2017
Facebook is beefing up its suicide prevention tools. People with suicidal thoughts who make worrying posts to Facebook Live will now get real-time intervention, in changes that come after a number of livestreamed deaths.
The social media giant has announced it is expanding its suicide prevention tools to Facebook Live, which gives Australian support groups the opportunity to target young people in the moment of their distress.
People watching a distressing Facebook Live broadcast will be able to contact the user directly, or report the video for an escalated response from the company.
Users streaming the concerning video will also see options to reach out to a friend, contact a help line or view tips.
Previously users would receive an auto-generated email if a post was reported, with a response taking hours or days.
Suicide Prevention Australia deputy chief executive Kim Borrowdale said intervention was more effective when assistance was offered where people were already communicating.
While the success of the technology will be gauged in the months to come, Ms Borrowdale expected it to be an essential element in the suicide prevention toolkit.
"We have to take advantage of every single piece of technology out there," she said.
"But it cannot be done in isolation, so we need to have other options for communication."
According to the World Health Organisation, suicide in the second leading cause of death among those aged 15-29 around the world.
Suicide videos left online for days
The technology comes in the wake of a troubling trend where users are using Facebook's Live video service to upload videos of reckless activities, violence, self-harm and in some cases, suicide.
In extreme cases, the videos have gone viral because of wide-spread sharing.
Facebook is increasing its suicide prevention tools, including new options for Facebook Live.
In the case of a 12-year-old in the United States, two weeks after the broadcast of her own suicide, the video was still surfacing on Facebook all around the world.
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the company's artificial intelligence technology would battle this by flagging content that does not adhere to its Community Standards.
The company is testing out a streamlined method using pattern recognition to identify a report about "suicide or self-injury" more prominent.
The recognition program will also flag "thoughts" of suicide.
POSTED MAR 02 19:53:34 EST 2017 ABC News
