Digital Media, Suicide, and Self-Injury

Abstract

This chapter includes two overarching aims: (1) to summarize research on the risks and benefits of social media use for SITB-related outcomes, including what is and is not known about primary mechanisms at play in these relationships and (2) to identify high-level implications, including opportunities and challenges for future research, intervention, and prevention efforts. The first section provides an overview on the prevalence and presentation of SITB in adolescence and the role of social media in SITB, while the second section summarizes findings related to the risks and benefits of social media use for SITB, and key mechanisms involved in these relationships. The final section covers implications for research, practice, and policy, through high-level opportunities and challenges.