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

TL;DR

This study explores how Australian social media users, especially young people, experience self-harm and suicide-related content and how it affects their wellbeing.

Contribution

The study provides new empirical evidence on the differential impact of self-harm and suicide-related content on young people versus adults on social media.

Findings

Young people in Australia are significantly more likely to encounter self-harm or suicide-related content on social media than adults.

Exposure to such content worsens mood for most users, with young people more likely to engage in self-harm afterward.

Despite the risks, many users, especially young people, use social media to seek support related to self-harm and suicide.

Abstract

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.

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.

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.

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.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-25646-0.

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