Suicide Live-Streams Are A Serious Issue, But Facebook Isn’t Doing Much To Curb It

Trigger warning: This article discusses suicide and abuse.

The tragic suicide of a 12-year-old girl allegedly abused by a relative has been streamed across the internet, including on Facebook.

Katelyn Nicole Davis recorded the moments before and during which she took her own life, streaming it directly to the Live Me application. In the video she claims she had been sexually and physically abused by a relative. The video was later removed.

However, this hasn’t stopped the video from going viral; users of various social media sites are re-uploading and sharing the distressing footage.

According to Mashable, the video was circulated on Facebook and YouTube, as well as embedded across different websites.

This isn’t the first time a suicide video has been circulated on Facebook. Mashable found another one, and surprisingly, the video wasn’t taken down. The video had a “graphic video warning” on it, which means Facebook thinks the content meets community guidelines, but should be viewed at discretion.

It reads: “Warning – Graphic Video… videos that contain graphic content can shock, offend and upset. Are you sure you want to see this?”

Just read about the loss of Katelyn Nicole Davis. My heart breaks thinking about how she must have felt. Mental illness is very real. (1/2)

— Jenn Kaytin Robinson (@JennKaytin) 7 January 2017

One New Zealand-based psychotherapist, Kyle MacDonald, had reported the video to Facebook. The response he received was: “We’ve reviewed the share you reported for showing someone injuring themselves and found that it doesn’t violate our Community Standards.”

Facebook has admitted to Mashable that a video of that nature should have been removed. The point of contention is this: Facebook videos can only be taken down by human moderators; they aren’t automatically removed with technology.

Facebook has become a powerful video distributor, especially for “live” moments. In recent times the platform has been making it easier to create and share video content, through things like automatic captioning and live video to desktop.

Speaking to The Independent, Chief Policy Advisor at YoungMinds, Marc Bush, said the legalities and accountability around social media platforms enabling the sharing of disturbing content can be complex. “We believe that there is a moral, if not clear legal responsibility on industry to seed out videos such as this and close them down before they can cause further harm.”

Are you experiencing suicidal thoughts or domestic and family violence? Seeking to support someone who is? Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

Visit ReachOut to get support to help you with everything from everyday issues through to tough times.

Photo: iStock