Samaritans tie up ensures Facebook is there for a friend in need
Facebook has teamed up with the Samaritans to notify the police of any suicidal profile updates following a number of cases in which people have taken to the network to say their last words.
It follows the highly publicised case of Simone Back who took to the platform over Christmas to inform her 1,048 friends that she had taken an overdose, the alarm wasn’t raised for 24 hours by which point it was too late.
This will see functionality incorporated which will allow members of the site to flag up friends who are causing concern, passing their details to the counsellors.
In Back’s case users expressed doubt and scorn accusing her of being a “liar” and saying it was “her choice”.
It wasn’t until someone texted Back’s mother the next day that police were informed.
Samaritan’s chief executive, Catherine Johnstone, said: "As a friend you are better placed to know whether someone close to you is struggling to cope or even feeling suicidal. We want to remind people that if a friend says that life isn't worth living, they should always be taken seriously.”