
It’s also said that for every suicide, there were believed to be at least 12 suicide attempts.
Sadag operations director Cassey Chambers said 90% of adolescents who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness - frequently, depression.
“While some people have a genetic tendency towards depression, others develop it as a result of loneliness and social isolation, bullying, loss, abuse and conflict. And there’s a catalyst that this generation is often having to contend with - social media,” she said.
A study of how social media affects the mental health of young people found that increased participation in social media networks was associated with increased psychological distress - with the effects almost twice as severe among girls.