Risk Factors for Social Media-Related Suicide

Social media use has been linked in the press with suicide and suicidal ideation. However, the evidence suggests a far-from-straightforward relationship between digital use and suicidal behaviour, and it is unclear how many people are affected or why. Although one case is too many for the families and friends of those who take their own lives, identifying factors placing people at risk, rather than throwing a blanket of terror on the activity, may be a much more helpful approach. In fact, current research allows these issues to be placed into context and suggests some risk indicators,^1,2 and one recent study develops a social media usage profile for young people who have taken their own lives.³ All these lines of information may help understand this thankfully rare but troubling phenomenon.

Although it is claimed suicide is increasing, this is true only for some countries and sets of people.⁴ If reducing overall levels of suicide is the goal, then many factors would come higher up the agenda for change than social media use; for example, economic factors are enormously powerful (perhaps the major) predictors of suicide. Additionally, addressing factors impacting middle-aged men (a group not noted for excessive use of digital media) would be a higher priority for overall suicide prevention. However, all factors leading to distress and harm are important, so, keeping in mind the above provisos, what is the evidence relating social media to suicide?

Recent Evidence on Social Media and Suicide

A recent review¹ noted a relationship between suicide and compulsive smartphone use for girls and between suicide and web-based communication for boys, but found less evidence for a relationship with general compulsive social media use. An important message is that the factors driving the overuse and its nature (rather than the overuse itself) may be more relevant to understanding suicide. Problematic digital use is part of a set of behaviours, like gambling, shopping, and pornography, that can become "addictive," in that people crave them, feel the need for more of them over time and withdrawn when not engaging in them, and experience severe life disruption because of them. Such behaviours share these features with substance abuse, and common to all is a relatively high rate of suicide—but what drives this tendency across all these behaviours?

A study following a very large group of people over a period of 41 years⁵ noted four to five times higher suicide rates for those addicted to alcohol and/or heroin. In contrast, suicide rates among those with cocaine addictions (who did not use heroin) were lower than for other substance abuse issues, and more in line with the general population. This was attributed to often greater socioeconomic circumstances, and better underlying health, for cocaine addicts. In fact, all suicide rates were exacerbated during periods of economic collapse (e.g., 2009–2012), suggesting finances are important over and above addictions.

In terms of behavioural problems, one study found those with gambling addictions were 12 times more likely to attempt suicide; whereas 4 percent of people in a comparison group had attempted suicide, this was 35 percent for gambling addicts (although half of these had attempted suicide prior to their gambling addiction).⁶ Compulsive shopping/buying has around an 18 percent suicide attempt rate,⁷ but the rate for compulsive pornography use is about 2 percent.⁸ Gambling and shopping problems may have more direct negative economic impacts, fitting the view that financial considerations are critical.^4,5 All of these compulsive behaviours have higher suicide rates than compulsive digital use.⁷ Thus, the overall data are relatively clear that digital behaviours can be associated with suicide, but the association is not as pronounced as for other addictions. Perhaps this is because many younger people are economically subsidised in their digital addictions by parents and do not feel the full economic brunt of the problem—people who gamble addictively with other people’s money don’t tend to engage in suicide.

In actuality, suicide risk may depend on the background experiences of individuals (including their finances), rather than on their digital habits alone, and it is important to understand these predisposing risk factors. This is what a recent study attempted³ by interviewing family members and friends of 35 adolescents (18 girls; 17 boys) who had died from suicide in the Netherlands. The focus was on the social media use of those who had died, to try to understand the issues they faced and identify any recurring themes about their types of social media use.

Of the 35 teenagers who had died by suicide, 14 were described as digitally "dependent" and "anxious" about missing online activity. However, family and friends did not often suggest that excessive usage, itself, impacted suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Rather, much "sedentary" behaviour was noted, as well as increased sleeping and school problems, and decreased face-to-face interactions. All of this suggests that the presence of depression and anxiety may have driven both suicide and social media use.

However, when asked about the content of social media accessed, respondents commonly said the teenagers had often viewed material suggesting that others had reached comparatively higher levels of achievement and happiness (social comparison of economic/material possessions may have been involved). Perhaps importantly, 13/35 of the adolescents had engaged in online communities involving depressive content and depictions of self-harm and suicide. This was more prevalent for girls (12/18) than boys (1/17). The teenagers frequently communicated via social media about their suicidal thoughts, and many had apparently started to display a "suicidal identity," where they could not imagine their lives without these thoughts and discussions. In contrast, only 4/35 teenagers had reported cyberbullying, and only 6/35 (five girls) reported cybervictimisation such as sexually inappropriate behaviour. It seems as if, for many, social media content may have reinforced suicidal ideation, rather than implanting or triggering it.

Summary

In sum, social media may contribute to suicide and exacerbate underlying depression and anxiety. However, the drivers of addiction and types of social media use are more important than overall usage or the fact of an addiction. This does not mean social media companies can absolve themselves by claiming their product did not directly cause suicide. Many people who take their own lives have many problems that both drive an addiction and contribute to suicide. Yet, as social media use can be driven by such vulnerabilities, there is a duty here. Knowing exploitation of others’ vulnerabilities for personal gain is a moral transgression that cannot be offset by arguments about mediators, nor alleged gains in other areas; a thief may mitigate, but cannot erase, the crime by highlighting that they produced some good at another time elsewhere. Those who make such arguments are either deliberately muddying the waters, or completely misunderstanding the meaning of morality.

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If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, seek help immediately. For help 24/7, dial 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.