Social media trolls push teens to the brink of suicide

Bullying on Facebook and WhatsApp is fuelling widespread suicidal feelings in high-school pupils.

This is one of the findings of a survey of 1,700 Grade 10s – a study which so alarmed the researchers that they said urgent interventions were needed.

Almost one in seven of the pupils who completed a University of KwaZulu-Natal questionnaire said they had attempted suicide in the previous year.

Girls were much more likely than boys to have made a suicide plan or attempted suicide. The factors linked to suicidal thoughts in girls were being physically hurt by someone they were dating and consuming three or more alcoholic drinks in the past month.

For boys, the risk factors were experiencing violence and bullying, including being threatened with a weapon at school and being bullied through Facebook or WhatsApp.

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