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How do Australian social media users experience self-harm and suicide-related content? A National cross-sectional survey comparing young people and adults

Jo Robinson Orcid Logo, Louise La Sala Orcid Logo, Bridget Kenny Orcid Logo, Charlie Cooper Orcid Logo, Michelle Lamblin Orcid Logo, Matthew Spittal Orcid Logo, Caroline Gao Orcid Logo, Marina Kunin Orcid Logo, Angela Nicholas Orcid Logo, Atria Rezwan, Maddox Gifford, Jane Pirkis Orcid Logo, Ann John Orcid Logo

BMC Public Health, Volume: 26, Issue: 1, Start page: 384

Swansea University Author: Ann John Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1186/s12889-025-25646-0

Abstract

Background: Rates of self-harm and suicide appear to be increasing in young people and many attribute this to social media use. However, high quality studies examining young people’s experiences of self-harm and suicide-related content on social media, and the impact on wellbeing, are lacking. Metho...

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Published in: BMC Public Health
ISSN: 1471-2458
Published: Springer Nature 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71188
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last_indexed 2026-01-31T05:34:31Z
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Methods: An online national cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2024. Quota sampling was used. Participants from across Australia were recruited from the Roy Morgan Single Source Panel, a panel managed by Pureprofile and via snowball sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to examine respondents&#x2019; experiences; logistic regressions examined differences between young people and adults. Results: Three thousand five hundred forty-nine individuals (895 young people; 2,654 adults) completed the survey. Just over half had been exposed to self-harm or suicide-related content on social media. Young people were more likely to be exposed than adults (Adjusted OR 3.81; 95%CI: 3.18&#x2013;4.58). For most people exposure worsened their mood and a minority reported engaging in self-harm as a result; again this was more common in young people (Adjusted OR 4.02, 95%CI: 2.42&#x2013;6.86). However, many people, in particular young people, reported using social media to seek support. Conclusion: There is concern about the impact of social media on self-harm and suicide and our findings support the need for improvements to online safety. 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JR is also supported by a University of Melbourne Dame Kate Campbell Fellowship. MS and JP are both funded by NHMRC Investigator Grants (ID2025205; 1173126) and University of Melbourne Dame Kate Campbell Fellowships. LLS is funded by a Suicide Prevention Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship. 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spelling 2026-01-30T14:16:23.2356010 v2 71188 2026-01-05 How do Australian social media users experience self-harm and suicide-related content? A National cross-sectional survey comparing young people and adults ed8a9c37bd7b7235b762d941ef18ee55 0000-0002-5657-6995 Ann John Ann John true false 2026-01-05 MEDS Background: Rates of self-harm and suicide appear to be increasing in young people and many attribute this to social media use. However, high quality studies examining young people’s experiences of self-harm and suicide-related content on social media, and the impact on wellbeing, are lacking. Methods: An online national cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2024. Quota sampling was used. Participants from across Australia were recruited from the Roy Morgan Single Source Panel, a panel managed by Pureprofile and via snowball sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to examine respondents’ experiences; logistic regressions examined differences between young people and adults. Results: Three thousand five hundred forty-nine individuals (895 young people; 2,654 adults) completed the survey. Just over half had been exposed to self-harm or suicide-related content on social media. Young people were more likely to be exposed than adults (Adjusted OR 3.81; 95%CI: 3.18–4.58). For most people exposure worsened their mood and a minority reported engaging in self-harm as a result; again this was more common in young people (Adjusted OR 4.02, 95%CI: 2.42–6.86). However, many people, in particular young people, reported using social media to seek support. Conclusion: There is concern about the impact of social media on self-harm and suicide and our findings support the need for improvements to online safety. However, the fact that people use social media to access help suggests that a nuanced and evidence-based approach is required that includes the perspectives of young people and those with lived experience. Journal Article BMC Public Health 26 1 384 Springer Nature 1471-2458 Social media; Suicide; Self-harm; Suicide prevention; Online safety; National survey 31 12 2026 2026-12-31 10.1186/s12889-025-25646-0 COLLEGE NANME Medical School COLLEGE CODE MEDS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee The study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) as part of an Investigator Grant awarded to JR (ID2008460). JR is also supported by a University of Melbourne Dame Kate Campbell Fellowship. MS and JP are both funded by NHMRC Investigator Grants (ID2025205; 1173126) and University of Melbourne Dame Kate Campbell Fellowships. LLS is funded by a Suicide Prevention Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship. The funder played no role in any aspect of the study. 2026-01-30T14:16:23.2356010 2026-01-05T11:24:57.2316616 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science Jo Robinson 0000-0001-5652-918x 1 Louise La Sala 0000-0002-6736-6977 2 Bridget Kenny 0000-0002-2283-356x 3 Charlie Cooper 0000-0003-4123-3778 4 Michelle Lamblin 0000-0003-4085-8637 5 Matthew Spittal 0000-0002-2841-1536 6 Caroline Gao 0000-0002-0987-2759 7 Marina Kunin 0000-0002-8749-1134 8 Angela Nicholas 0000-0003-1979-7278 9 Atria Rezwan 10 Maddox Gifford 11 Jane Pirkis 0000-0002-2538-4472 12 Ann John 0000-0002-5657-6995 13 71188__36150__e21be29758b64d51b64277cf124de317.pdf 71188.VOR.pdf 2026-01-30T14:14:30.4820179 Output 1315076 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title How do Australian social media users experience self-harm and suicide-related content? A National cross-sectional survey comparing young people and adults
spellingShingle How do Australian social media users experience self-harm and suicide-related content? A National cross-sectional survey comparing young people and adults
Ann John
title_short How do Australian social media users experience self-harm and suicide-related content? A National cross-sectional survey comparing young people and adults
title_full How do Australian social media users experience self-harm and suicide-related content? A National cross-sectional survey comparing young people and adults
title_fullStr How do Australian social media users experience self-harm and suicide-related content? A National cross-sectional survey comparing young people and adults
title_full_unstemmed How do Australian social media users experience self-harm and suicide-related content? A National cross-sectional survey comparing young people and adults
title_sort How do Australian social media users experience self-harm and suicide-related content? A National cross-sectional survey comparing young people and adults
author_id_str_mv ed8a9c37bd7b7235b762d941ef18ee55
author_id_fullname_str_mv ed8a9c37bd7b7235b762d941ef18ee55_***_Ann John
author Ann John
author2 Jo Robinson
Louise La Sala
Bridget Kenny
Charlie Cooper
Michelle Lamblin
Matthew Spittal
Caroline Gao
Marina Kunin
Angela Nicholas
Atria Rezwan
Maddox Gifford
Jane Pirkis
Ann John
format Journal article
container_title BMC Public Health
container_volume 26
container_issue 1
container_start_page 384
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 1471-2458
doi_str_mv 10.1186/s12889-025-25646-0
publisher Springer Nature
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Background: Rates of self-harm and suicide appear to be increasing in young people and many attribute this to social media use. However, high quality studies examining young people’s experiences of self-harm and suicide-related content on social media, and the impact on wellbeing, are lacking. Methods: An online national cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2024. Quota sampling was used. Participants from across Australia were recruited from the Roy Morgan Single Source Panel, a panel managed by Pureprofile and via snowball sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to examine respondents’ experiences; logistic regressions examined differences between young people and adults. Results: Three thousand five hundred forty-nine individuals (895 young people; 2,654 adults) completed the survey. Just over half had been exposed to self-harm or suicide-related content on social media. Young people were more likely to be exposed than adults (Adjusted OR 3.81; 95%CI: 3.18–4.58). For most people exposure worsened their mood and a minority reported engaging in self-harm as a result; again this was more common in young people (Adjusted OR 4.02, 95%CI: 2.42–6.86). However, many people, in particular young people, reported using social media to seek support. Conclusion: There is concern about the impact of social media on self-harm and suicide and our findings support the need for improvements to online safety. However, the fact that people use social media to access help suggests that a nuanced and evidence-based approach is required that includes the perspectives of young people and those with lived experience.
published_date 2026-12-31T05:33:27Z
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