If you ever spot an emotional update on Facebook by one of your friends, you can do something about it. Facebook is rolling out its suicide prevention tool to the public, allowing users to report worrying content on Facebook and helping those in need.
This feature is developed in collaboration with mental health organisations and was previously only available in the U.S. and the U.K. However, since suicide rate is so high, Facebook has decided to roll out the tool around the world in collaboration with local partners and in all languages Facebook is available in.
As of today, if you spot an update that makes you concerned about their well-being, you can report the post to Facebook. Once flagged, Facebook will send the author a message telling them that someone was concerned about their post. Facebook will give them options to talk with a trusted friend, call a helpline, get tips and support, or skip. You can also directly message your Friend and Facebook will offer suggestions on wordings.
Image Credit: Facebook Safety
If you are worried about spams, don’t be. Facebook says that there is a team behind the feature that reviews incoming reports and prioritises most serious cases like self-injury.
This is definitely a very useful feature on Facebook because sometimes, all a person want is just to talk it out with someone, and know that there are people who care.
