Suicide and Facebook

The increase in the rate of suicide attempts among kids and teens has really set an alarm of caution among parents. One of the basic reasons behind this trend is that the young have lesser years behind them that may not have helped them get a broader perspective in life.

Suicide and Facebook

It may come as a surprise to most parents that now Facebook also has a role in the number of suicides taking place around the globe. Especially when used as their final message before the tragedy.

Facebook draws lots of interest from people, especially when people you already know send you requests to get onto the website and create your account. Today, Facebook touches more than 800 million users, making it by far the leading social networking site. You could have hundreds of friends and relatives already signed-up on this site, and even more who are from your city. Facebook also acts as the ideal place for coming in contact with people you met or had been with years ago. And, it also helps you create new relationships, both personal and business.

It needs to be understood that Facebook doesn’t have a proper administration with regard to what happens on their network daily, weekly and monthly. Even though initially you will feel that they are offering you a great platform, but as a long-standing Facebook user, you would be more able to understand them.

Facebook is one place where kids have a very high chance of being bullied by their friends. Additionally, some other types of incidents also keep happening regularly. A large number of pedophiles are stalking their victims on Facebook, disguised as innocent friends. Getting a friend request from just anybody is a positive sign of increasing one’s network, at least for the kids. And, there are many online methods such people can gather personal information about their victims.

This type of Facebook friends gradually start mounting their objective by first offering virtual gifts, e-cards, flowers and messages on birthdays. And, most kids and teenagers consider such gestures as normal and accept such friendships without their parent’s knowledge. Such ‘friends’ also get access to their personal information, making the victim most vulnerable. And, with time it can turn personal, leading to the loss of self-defense on the part of the kid.

It is better to stay away from a social networking website where there have been many instances of kids and teenagers getting brutally and mentally tortured by their so called ‘friends.’ And, some of these types of friends turn to harassments and bullying after some time. And, the kids who suffer from such experiences don’t let anyone know that they are victims of such incidences, where they start developing an extreme sense of guilt, leading to depression and even despair.  And, this makes them feel that they are outside the order unless the family members or parents start noticing the changes. And, this can lead to thinking of committing suicide as a form of escape route from a tampered life.

While Facebook’s usage may have contributed to suicide cases, the rate is still growing with most of the parents unaware of its effects on their kids. Compared to the adults, the young are highly vulnerable to develop depression from their experiences of Facebook. And at their age they are less equipped to handle even a small amount of despair or hopelessness without the intervention of adults. According to some industry experts and even according to most of the victims of bad experiences on Facebook, it is best to allow kids to join this site only when they become adults. And, that is also after determining if at all one should join this social networking site.