Public health review reveals negative and positive impacts of social media on suicidal behavior in the public, highlighting the necessity of legal and preventive health frameworks.
There is increasing evidence that the Internet and social media can influence suicide-related behavior. Important questions are whether this influence poses a significant risk to the public and how public health approaches might be used to address the issue. To address these questions, we provide an overview of ways that social media can influence suicidal behavior, both negatively and positively, and we evaluate the evidence of the risk. We also discuss the legal complexities of this important topic and propose future directions for research and prevention programs based on a public health perspective.
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Luxton et al. (2012) studied this question.