Did you know that suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents according to the American Academy of Pediatrics?
Bullying, Cyberbullying:
There are many risk factors for adolescents committing suicide and one of them is bullying. A review of 31 studies found “a clear relationship between both bullying victimization and perpetration and suicidal ideation and behavior in children and adolescents. Females were at risk regardless of frequency.” Is your tween or teen being cyberbullied online?
Excessive Time Online:
Another risk factor for adolescent suicide is the over use of video games and being online for more than five hours a day. “Self-reported daily use of video games and Internet exceeding 5 hours was strongly associated with higher levels of depression and suicidality (ideation and attempts) in adolescents.” How many hours does your child spend online?
Chatroom Forums, Suicide Websites:
Online suicide forums and online suicide pacts also increase suicidal ideation and risk. Do you know the sites, forums or chatrooms that your child is visiting?
Chatroom discussions sometimes encourage suicidal people to take their own lives. They may idolize those who have committed suicide and facilitate suicide pacts. http://lostallhope.com/suicide-methods is an example of a website that lists methods of suicide such as hanging or jumping off a high building. They discuss in detail the particular suicide method. (This makes my stomach turn as I’m sure it does yours, but it’s important to realize that your tween or teen may be reading this kind of nauseating information online.)
When talking about hanging for example they say,
“There are two principal methods for hanging:
1. Short drop/simple suspension. In this method cause of death is normally asphyxiation (lack of oxygen) caused by weight of the body on the noose, thereby constricting the trachea (air passage). However, death is also possible simply by compression of the carotid arteries or the jugular veins, thereby cutting off the blood supply to/from the brain. Cutting off the airway in this case would not be essential.”
At the bottom of the page that is providing information about a particular method of suicide, those reading and potentially contemplating suicide are encouraged to read their help me page. They do attempt to help educate the person contemplating suicide to really think about what they are doing and what it feels like when they’ve lost all hope. “People think about committing suicide as a solution to a problem they see no solution to. But here’s the thing – even if you don’t think there is a solution to your problems right now, that does not mean it does not exist. It just means that you can’t see it right now.”
The bottom line is that parental awareness of a tween or teens online activity is incredibly important. Parents need to be aware of what their child is viewing, what they are reading online, who they’re engaging with in the online world, and whether they’re victims of cyberbullying or being cyberbullies themselves.
