How different platforms handle self-harm

9:15 PM

How different platforms handle self-harm

Tiktok

Instagram

Reddit

X (Twitter)

Risk Factors

• Twitter is known to have several communities under specific hashtags that encourage harmful behaviors, such as #shtwt, which stands for Self-Harm Twitter
• Under #shtwt, users — typically teens — post graphic imagery of self-harm with comments that share different "techniques" and romanticize the act.
• According to a 2024 study assessing X's ability to regulate content on the platform, between October 2021 and August 2022, content under the hashtag increased by 500%, averaging about 20,000 tweets per month.

Protective Features

• X does not condone the promotion of suicide or self-harm, but this regulation is extremely weak. The same study found that only about 8.3% of the tweets collected within the study sample were blocked by Twitter's content moderation policies after creating a significant impression on users.

Sources:

https://www.ojcmt.net/download/exploring-self-harm-on-twitter-x-content-moderation-and-its-psychological-effects-on-adolescents-15867.pdf

https://help.x.com/en/rules-and-policies/glorifying-self-harm

https://www.explorationpub.com/uploads/Article/A101154/101154.pdf

TikTok

Risk Factors

• Glamorization of self-harm and suicide-related behavior
• When the "For You" algorithm learns that a user is interested in mental health content, it recommends more content that is related to depressive thinking and self-harm

Protective Features

• In response to content that shows, promotes, or shares plans for suicide or self-harm, TikTok will make it ineligible for the "For You" feed and add a warning screen or a context label.

Sources:

https://www.tiktok.com/community-guidelines/en/mental-behavioral-health

https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/POL40/7350/2023/en/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12491888/

Reddit

Risk Factors

• Reddit functions as a massive collection of open forums — each subreddit has its own set of rules, meaning that comments relating to experiences of self-harm can often go unregulated.
• Depending on the subreddit, users can recieve both helpful and harmful advice

Protective Features

• According to the official website, Reddit has partnered with Crisis Text Line to provide users who may be considering suicide or seriously hurting themselves with support from trained Crisis Counselors.

Sources:

https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043075812-What-do-I-do-if-I-m-thinking-of-seriously-hurting-myself-or-considering-suicide

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11112053/#abstract1

Instagram

Risk Factors

• Many people post images depicting self-harm under specific hashtags to avoid detection, such as #selfharn
• A 2020 study stated that over half of the popular phrases and photos associated with the hashtag suggested that it was not creating a supportive environment

Protective Features

• Instagram will not allow any graphic depictions of self-harm
• Non-graphic depictions of self-harm will not appear in hastags or the explore and search tabs

Sources:

https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/supporting-and-protecting-vulnerable-people-on-instagram

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7218342/#sec10-2055207620922389