What to do if you see worrying suicide and self-harm content online

Look at something else – If you see something that upsets you, try not to look at it for too long. Close the screen, scroll past it or look at another app. It can be helpful to focus on something else for a while, for example by leaving your device in another room and going to make a drink.

Talk to someone you trust – You may want to talk about how the content made you feel with someone you trust, like a friend or family member. Whatever you are facing, Samaritans are always here to listen - day or night, 365 days a year.

Curate your social media feeds – You can limit the content you see on social media by blocking or muting accounts and users. Some platforms will let you filter out certain search terms or hashtags, so you have more control over what comes up on your feed. It's also possible to hide individual pieces of content on your timeline or feed that you don’t want to see without blocking or muting the account that made the post.

Practice self-care – Spend time doing something to take care of your mental health. This could be anything from reading your favourite book, speaking to loved ones, following breathing exercises or baking. The Samaritans self-help app can recommend things to do to feel better and keep track of your feelings.

Decide which sites and apps suit you – Different platforms have different rules on the type of content they host. It’s worth taking a look at a site’s community guidelines to see what content is and isn’t allowed. If you think there will be content that could negatively affect you, consider using other platforms that make you feel more comfortable.

You should report anything that you see online that worries you, but it's especially important to report content that:

• Shows a user in need of urgent help. You should also contact emergency services if you know the users name or location.
• Encourages or promotes self-harm and suicide, such as online games or challenges. It is against the law in the UK to encourage or assist suicide and if you see this happening online, you should report it immediately.
• Provides detailed information about methods of suicide and self-harm.
• Contains graphic images and videos of acts of self-harm and suicide.

If you see posts about self-harm and suicide online that worry you, you should report it, even if you’re not sure of the community guidelines on a site or platform. You can usually find community guidelines by going to settings in an app, or policies on a website.

Report it on the site - Sites and platforms have different processes, and you should be able to find information about how to make a report on the site or app. Reporting content to the site or platform where it is hosted means it can be reviewed by their moderators and removed if it breaks community guidelines, which means that fewer people will be upset by seeing it.

Visit report harmful content website - If you are unsure of how to make a report about self-harm or suicide content, or have seen the same content in lots of places online, then use the Report Harmful Content website, which has step-by-step information on how to make a report on some of the most popular social networks and video sharing platforms. They can also help if you have already reported harmful content to a site and there has been no resolution.

What happens after you make a report can vary across sites and platforms, but you will normally receive an acknowledgement and an update on what action was taken. Depending on the site or platform, this can sometimes take a few days.

If the content breaks the community guidelines, it will be removed and the site will get in touch with the user to explain why this happened and offer guidance on posting safely and available options for support.

The site or platform won’t tell a user who reported them, but if you report content that only you and that user can see, such as a private message, then they might know that it was you who made the report. This shouldn’t stop you from trying to help someone at risk.

If you are talking about self-harm and suicide online, it is important to do so safely. Making sure you post safely and responsibly can reduce the risk of suicidal feelings and behaviours in others and encourage people to seek help.

Have a look at our advice on talking safely about self-harm and suicide online, and our resources on how to share your experiences about suicide and self-harm online in a safe way.

If you see other users posting about their feelings in an unsafe way and you feel comfortable, you could encourage them to think about posting safely or signpost them to our hub of resources.