Does
the web cause copycat suicides? Post your comments
As police try to fathom what persuaded seven young people to take their lives
in the South Wales town of Bridgend, the role of the internet has come under
increasing scrutiny: as a social networking link between suicidal teenagers,
as a guide to self- destruction and even, perhaps, as a tragic route to
posthumous celebrity.
There is a growing debate over the internet and suicide. Police fear that the
prestige of having a memorial website, where friends come to mourn and pay
tribute online, may have contributed to the spate of suicides.
Within hours of the death of Natasha Randall, 17, last Thursday, a site
dedicated to her name appeared on the web, with photographs, poems and
tributes. By yesterday afternoon nearly 3,000 people had logged on to the
site for the girl known as Tasha. A posting chosen at random declared: “Love
you loads your a star && always well be 4eva xx”.
It is the element of “stardom” that most alarms psychologists, who fear that
the glorification of teenage suicide on the internet may encourage others to
follow suit. Tasha’s earlier tribute to her friend Liam Clark, who killed
himself shortly after Christmas, was similar in tone to the dozens that now
festoon her own memorial website: “RIP, Clarky boy!! gonna miss ya! always
remember the gd times!”
Her death followed the suicides of six other young people in the same town,
most of whom knew each other, over the past 12 months. Police have been
visiting the families of friends of the dead girl, urging parents to be
vigilant.
The suicides in Bridgend are only the latest evidence of a growing and deeply
disturbing link between suicide and the internet. Debate has centred on
suicide chat rooms, in which users may be encouraging others to kill
themselves, and on websites that offer information on different ways to
commit suicide.
Suicide is the most common cause of death among British teenagers. Suicide
websites and chat rooms have been implicated in the deaths of at least 27
young people in the past six years, leading to calls for closer regulation
of the internet.
Under the 1961 Suicide Act it is illegal to promote suicide but there has
never been a successful prosecution for assisting suicide online. The
pressure group Papyrus is lobbying the Government to amend the law to make
it illegal for internet sites to publish material aimed at aiding suicides.
Rosemary Vaux, a spokeswoman for Papyrus, said: “In the United Kingdom the law
specifically bans grooming a child for sex, but it’s not illegal to groom a
child for death.”
The suggestion by police that a desire for internet celebrity may be part of
the explanation for some of the latest suicides has added a new element to
the potent and potentially self-destructive mix of teenage depression,
social pressure and desire for the approval of friends.
For many young people, the internet has taken the place of other, more
traditional, forms of interaction between peers. Psychologists say that
teenagers who are unwilling to air their problems with adults or face to
face with friends may be more willing to discuss such matters through social
networking websites. But there is also a danger of encouraging and perhaps
exaggerating mutual unhappiness, potentially leading to collective or
copycat behaviour.
A study of suicidal behaviour among adolescents published in 1995 found that
young people were more likely to attempt suicide if people important in
their lives had attempted suicide or died by their own hand. There is
conflicting evidence about the effect of media reports on suicide rates. A
more recent study showed that young people were getting their information
about suicide, in both fictional and factual form, from the media, and such
reports were particularly prevalent on the internet.
Personally, I have some misgivings about even writing about teenage suicide,
for fear that it might serve to alert young people to the possibility. But
unless parents are made aware of the dangers lurking on the internet there
is perhaps a greater danger of self-destructive social networks developing
among young people unnoticed and unregulated, until it is too late.
Some suicide websites offer detailed information on suicide methods, and many
have chat rooms in which users provide advice about funeral arrangements and
suicide notes and even offer active encouragement. In the words of Papyrus:
“These young people, who are obviously depressed and vulnerable, go on these
websites and they egg each other on.”
In August last year Kevin Whitrick, from Wellington, Shropshire, committed
suicide while using a live webcam. Simon Kelly, from Cornwall, was
communicating with others on a suicide chat room right up until the moment
that he killed himself in 2001.
Paul Kelly, who is campaigning with Papyrus to change the law, told Radio 4:
“It was extremely distressing to read this and know that no one in the chat
room would make any effort to stop him. The philosophy is that they will not
intervene once someone decides to ‘catch the bus’, which is the phrase they
use for committing suicide.”
There is no suggestion that the seven young people who have killed themselves
in Bridgend actively encouraged one another towards suicide but the case has
exposed the potential link between suicide and the instant, if transitory,
celebrity afforded by the internet.
The South Wales Coroner, Phillip Walters, has been alarmed at the growing
number of young people who are taking their own lives. He said: “I shall be
looking at these networking sites to see if there is a link between them and
the growing number of youngsters committing suicide. In the meantime I want
to warn youngsters about the possible dangers these websites can pose. I
would also like to warn parents to be actively on the alert for signs of
their children being influenced by others on these sites.”
The spate of suicides in Bridgend may be a reflection of despair, but also of
fashion, in the most heartbreaking way. A police spokesman said: “They may
think it’s cool to have a memorial website. It may even be a way of
achieving prestige among their peer group.”
It may be no accident that on the day the latest suicide was reported in
Bridgend the body of a Hollywood actor was found in New York, having killed
himself either intentionally or accidentally, and the long, sad drug saga of
Amy Winehouse lurched closer to tragedy. In many teenage minds, celebrity
and self-destruction are already entwined.
Natasha Randall’s friends clearly hope to preserve her memory with an online
memorial. But perhaps the best way to ensure that no other teenager is
tempted to seek a brief flicker of fame in the same way would be to shut the
memorial down.
The toll
Jan 2007 Dale Crole, 18 Hanged at the Coney Beach funfair
February David Dilling, 19 Hanged
Thomas Davies, 20 Hanged
August Zachery Barnes, 17 Hanged with washing line
December Liam Clarke, 20 Hanged in park
Jan 2008 Gareth Morgan, 27 Hanged in his bedroom
Natasha Randall, 17 Hanged in bedroom
This is a truly terrible trend and I feel that some of the media attempting to blame something like this on the internet and social networking sites is just lazy journalism. Even if these young people had been discussing suicide on these sites you need to look at the reasons for doing this in the first place to really tackle the problem. If you look at the recent UNICEF report that ranks Britain last out of developed countries for the happiness of children. Add to this the fact that all young people seem to getting painted with same brush regards a small minority who commit crime on our streets and this would be a start at looking at reasons young people are unhappy
ian , london,
The link to facebook and other social networking sites is absurd. Every time there is a new suicide the press report that the person was a member of facebook. Of course they were; most people of their age are. The memorial facebook groups aren't really, in my opinion, a cause for concern. They're not a worship or admiration of suicide or death, or at least no more so than funerals are.
The talk of social networking sites is detracting from what is surely relevant and important: that there is a needless and tragic loss of young life in one area. It is the age and area that is the important link in all of these tragedies, and not the internet.
Alex, Cardiff, formerly Porthcawl.,
As a Christian and an American, I feel oppressed here and my views are not taken serious."Religion" is silly, right?These young people don't need "religion", they need faith and hope.
This country in general has forgotten or maybe never conceived of Jesus beyond the Church.I understand the history and recognize how different the Catholic Church I chose to convert to is from what my parents and grandparents were forced to grow up with.Religion isn't the answer. Compassionate human contact is.Spiritual freedom.Joy.
I attempted suicide twice and struggle still with continuous anxiety and depression.When I contemplate the pain I feel, when I want it to end my faith saves me.That faith is in a person.It is talking to that "imaginary person" that guides me and comforts me.My relationship with God fills me with strength, but I have to humble myself and talk to Him.I could see this society making it very taboo to "talk" to Jesus and therefore the concept is lost on those who really need it.
Tiffany C. Dow, Cardiff, Wales
First, this isn't just about Bridgend. Many stories have reported this happening in other cities around the world. Regardless, people commit suicide without using website. Two childhood friends of mine did just last month.
This is not a problem for the government to fix. We need to fix this as a society. We need to be better people, more compassionate and present for our neighbor. More vocal about right and wrong. And, there should NEVER be a legal means of ending someone's life. Ridiculous! We need to tackle to root causes.
Alex, "religion" cannot cure depression, but God can help us all to be stronger in our pain and see a continuous light.
Also, heaven is not promised to those in the Christian faith who kill themselves. That is Islam and these religions are VERY different.
People can be good without God, but most I know lack the contagious hope and faith of a good Christian. A praying, peaceful, hard-working Christian with Christ as their example.
Tiffany C. Dow, Cardiff, Wales
I'm very reluctant to lay the blame solely at the door of the memorial sites, but I what I would say is that they definitely don't help matters.
The phrase "heaven must have needed another angel" seems to crop up quite a few times on these sites. Maybe if these young people had images of their bodies rotting in the ground and their families being utterly broken and devestated, instead of being angels in heaven, it may make them think twice.
You also see a lot of messages like "R.I.P. hun, love ya, miss ya xxx" and so on. With the exception of the "R.I.P.", it could have been a message for someone going on a two week holiday to the Canaries. Do these people fully understand the finality and destructive power of suicide? Does the internet blur the lines between fantasy and reality?
We need to exercise restraint in using the internet as a scapegoat, but these questions need to be answered.
Steve Paine, Pontypool, South Wales
I hope the police are involving a competent paedo-psychiatrist in their investigations.
It has nothing to do with stardom nor with religion IMO, but with an adolescent need to push the limits and/or to conform.
The website mentioned might in its way be an encouragement and therefore dangerous, but if it were to be closed down there'd be a zillion or more others waiting to take it's place.
A more serious (psychiatric) evaluation of the children, families, friends - schools even - is required. There is no ease of solution to this, no headline formula. Teenage suicide is a reality that has too many facets.
DAK, Auch, France
I'm not sure that the young adults who did this to themselves did it for some sort of posthumous fame. I think it is more of a domino effect, they see the Myspace/Facebook sites of their dead peers following their deaths and want those kind words directed at them.
Young adults today are surrounded by a fickle, high pressure world that is usually brought on by the adults around them. Every young person is expected to attend university and attain a similar level of prosperity to their parents in a shorter amount of time.
I can only assume that most of the people commenting on this column will be above the age of 25 and have a reasonable level of fortune and probably children of their own.
Therefor I would urge you instead of advocating blame to society or religion, to ask yourselves if this maybe a problem of your own generations creation.
Stephen Higgins, Sheffield, UK
Vicki,
I don't think any Religious values are going to save these people. If your willing to tie a noose around your neck then i doubt burning in Heaven or Hell is going to put you off.
I grew up not far from Bridgend where these suicides have happened and and its a fairly depressing place. I also know almost 10 people myself who have committed suicide. Im not sure what the answer is, but Religion certainly isnt it.
Leon Ravenscroft, Sydney, Australia
The problem with these kids is that they are all too empty to live.
Fabio C, London, UK
Isn't this just a logical progression in our increasingly disposable society?
Today, a friend can be somebody who's done no more than give you a poke on Facebook; we need make no more effort these days to keep in touch with friends and acquaintances than clicking "Forward" on an email of blonde jokes or sending a quick text message. We don't actually have to think about it or invest any real emotion into it. It seems that these children have just found life and dead to be just as flimsy as the notion of friendship.
Though an atheist, myself, I even find myself agreeing with Vicki Dorsey - even having religion in their lives would give them some sort of structure. Over the last fifty years, we've torn down the Church and its influence on British life - which is all very well and good, but if we tear down the country's pillar of moral support, we should at least replace it with something more substantial than Bob Geldof, Kerry Katona and Steve Jobs...
Peter, Hartlepool,
The lack of religion? Why not tell them that Santa won't bring them any presents instead? He might be imaginary too, but at least you got the presents!
Maybe the idea that there ISN'T a god, an afterlife or a heaven might deter a few people. Suicide bombers, US presidents with their fingers on the button...
To find something useful to do with your life, you could start by not wasting it talking to your imaginary friend.
Jon, Winchester, UK
People forget that these people go out looking for these sites in the first place. The only encouragement they are recieving is encouragement that they looked for. Most networking sites, allow people of like minds to discuss their problems, and hence can prevent someone from killing themselves, it works both ways.
Harriet , Rotherham,
Actually religion (apart from traditional Catholicism perhaps which places a huge taboo on suicide) is probably more likely to make these young people kill themselves as they will "get their reward in heaven" rather than here on earth. If you believe in an afterlife and seeing your friends / family there, then you will probably be a lot more cavalier about dying than someone who knows death is the end.
MB, Edinburgh,
im a mother and it makes me sick if these kids are getting famous over there own deaths close down there web sites and stop making a joke out of there friends deaths.
slater, sydney, australia
If I were religious and truly believed in an afterlife, I would commit suicide right now as 'Heaven' sounds a lot more attractive than Earth. Keep in mind the promise of 72 virgins in paradise to would-be suicide bombers.
A belief in the hereafter IMO is MORE likely to encourage people to die 'before their time'.
Alex McGregor, Plymouth, UK
lack of religion? Why not TV, comics or rock music? Maybe the consemer society ask too much for young people.Perhaps young people who cant face it becomes broken toys and when they ask older people, they only ask for God`.
Antonio Pérez Loabto, Madrid/London, Spain/UK
It's their life, if they want to be 'stars' let them, I wouldn't bother to be honest, How would you appriciate it if your not alive? Hmm
Adam Webb, MK, UK
Anyway, if it was the internet then it would be happening all over the place.
If it's just in Bridgend then, as the article says, people who have had someone they know or someone important to them commit suicide are more likely to commit suicide themselves.
This may, and I only say may, be more of a factor than living in Bridgend.
Jon, Winchester, UK
To advocate or to encourage suicide is illegal, those who do it have no consience, The pain it causes others is wrong,
These internet sites must be closed.
A lot of young people see no future, they turn to drugs, alcohol and sometimes suicide, this is problem for the government to solve.
We should have a legal means of ending ones life when pain andd suffering gets to much.
Peter, Hastings, UK
"There is no suggestion that the seven young people who have killed themselves in Bridgend actively encouraged one another towards suicide"
So what's the fuss about? Isn't it a fact that these teenagers all lived close to one another, in the same town? So how is the internet to blame?
And is there actually a "Fashionable website where teenage suicides are a cause for celebration"? Because your article doesn't describe one.
James Kingdom, West Morland, UK
I think it's ridiculous that young people are glorifying such a selfish, pretentious act. I've had troubles in my life but i'm only 18 - death is imminent and i would never be foolish enough to bring it upon myself, nor would i want any of my freinds or peers to place my act next to that of martyrdom.
Kathleen Noonan, runcorn,
unfortunateyly many poeple worship celebrities and not god, somehow our media should take some responsibility and some action here - the list goes on..Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse, where are the role models..? these people are very troubled
As for Heath Ledger, he was a great Australian, and a workaholic - a tragic accident that could of happened to any of us...god rest him
marie S, belfast,
Well, remember someone's sucide maybe it's not such a happy thing, but it's a way to remember someone that decide to stop his/her life because they couldn't carry on anymore..
Religion cannot stop you from suicide, believe me Vicky, when you decide to finish with your life, there are no flames from hell or the sun of heaven that can stop you.It's called depression..
Only your family or friends can help you out..believe me, everyday I say thanks to my family and to my friends from saving me that day..
Alex, Genoa, Italy
You talk about religion and all the problems that come with religious belief systems, whatever belief system we follow, weather it is Catholic, protestant, Jewish, Islam, Baptist, the list is endless. Apart from the misguided and insane murdering fundementalists that have been present and still are present in some of these leading religions...One thing they forget and that is GOD and Gods sacred gift of life. Life that should NEVER be extinguished by suicide. Whatever religios book you read from it is a sin to take your own life. As I am not any of the above, I am a CHRISTIAN and know that Christ died for us All, so even if it is a sin it has been cancelled out by the death on the cross and will not seperate us from heaven, as some RELIGIONS will have you believe. Having said this I am possitive that Gods creations were not meant to end prematurely by oneself and if these tribute sites are playing a part in emotionally de-stabilising to the point of suicide then the NEED to CLOSE.
Colin, Chester,
Or you could be good at the same time as NOT worshiping God, which the rest of us seem to manage just fine. Stop associating God with goodness, it's patronising and blatantly untrue.
Andy, Singapore,
Religion?
Religion probably leads to more cases of self loathing and depression than any other form of brainwashing.
I know it's popular to worry about these kids, but they are such a tiny minority that I think it's far more important to focus efforts on making sure they don't kill themselves on the highways, no? The numbers tell the story...
Gustavo, Newport Beach, USA / California
What a tragedy, all these young lives snuffed out without even having much of a go at life.
Could it be the lack of religon in their young lives? I was taught that it was a sin, terrible sin, to commit sucide and that if I did it I would not go to heaven, I would suffer and burn in hades. I believe this is true, "though shalt not kill", remember that set of rules called the Ten Commandments?
Older people might try setting an example for the young, worship God, be good, do something worthwhile with your life and set an example that life is worth living.
vicki Dorsey, Wilva, North Carolina