It’s good to see a platform stepping up in this regard.
Originally posted on Naked Security:
“I am thinking of jumping”, the Facebook post said.
Attached to the post were pictures of the George Washington Bridge to Manhattan.
An alarmed friend of the 18-year-old contacted authorities. Port Authority Police Department Lt. Thomas Michaels, assigned to the bridge, responded by reaching out to the cyberbullied teen with his own Facebook message.
In the post, Lt. Michaels included his phone number, along with a plea for the teen to call.
Eventually, the troubled teen did. He agreed to meet with Michaels and to then be taken to hospital for help.
Unfortunately, not all suicidal notes that get posted to Facebook – or to other social media sites, such as Amanda Todd’s final YouTube post or Leelah Alcorn’s heartbreaking Tumblr goodbye – have happy endings.
Now, Facebook has stepped up to help both those experiencing suicidal inclinations and the frantic friends who spot their messages.
On Wednesday, Facebook
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