London - Vulnerable teenagers going online are at increased risk of self-harm and even suicide, according to the first wide-scale study of its kind.
While some simply value the anonymity of online forums and use them to find support, experts believe the sites do “more harm than good”, with teenagers looking for empathy rather than help to stop hurting themselves.
They say there is a “strong link” between using online forums with an increased risk of suicide among vulnerable and isolated teens.
And they suggest doctors and psychologists ask young patients about their internet use. After a review of 14 global studies, a team from Oxford University believes the violent imagery and discussions of self-harm on the forums lead teens to normalise the behaviour and ‘act out’ what they have seen online.
The study, published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, found that 80 percent of teenagers who had carried out particularly violent acts of self-harm had gone online to research them.
And using the internet was directly associated with the most violent forms of self-harm, with more than 70 percent of those who had cut themselves using the net to find out about techniques.
Oxford University psychologist Professor Paul Montgomery said: “While social media might be useful for supporting vulnerable adolescents, we also find that the internet is doing more harm than good in some cases.” - Daily Mail