By subscribing to the service, users would grant the collusion networks the ability to like and comment on the posts of other members. Source: AP

Facebook’s suicide and self-harm prevention tools now available worldwide

PREVIOUSLY only available in the U.S., Facebook has now gone global with its suicide and self-harm prevention tools by partnering with local mental health organizations in the countries it is available.

In a Facebook post, the company’s Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis said: “With the help of these new tools, if someone posts something on Facebook that makes you concerned about their well-being, you can reach out to them directly – and you can also report the post to us.

“We have teams working around the world, 24/7, who review reports that come in. They prioritize the most serious reports like self-injury.”

Once reported, Facebook sends the person who posted the worrying post a set of options. They can either “reach out to a friend, contact a helpline, or see tips”.

With 1.09 billion daily active users, Facebook’s altruistic tool, which is available in every language Facebook is available in, could be extremely useful to monitor people who are depressed or suicidal.

In Singapore, the social media giant has partnered with a local non-profit suicide prevention center, Samaritans of Singapore, to launch the tools there.

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Facebook has also partnered with the Live Love Laugh Foundation and the AASRA organization in India, while in Japan, they are affiliated with TELL Tokyo English Lifeline.

A full list of Facebook’s partnership with suicide prevention organizations can be found here.

The feature works on both mobile and desktop, and was first trialed in the U.S. in early 2015, with the help of Forefront, Lifeline, and Save.org.