ArticlePloS one2020
Suicide and self-harm content on Instagram: A systematic scoping review.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Interventions of choice for the prevention and treatment of suicidal behaviours: An umbrella review.Nursing open · 2023Pooled it
- An Examination of Digital Media and Device-Related Problems in Pediatric Hospital Visits for Psychiatric Crises.JAACAP open · 2026Article
- Contribution of an Online Intervention to Developing Communities of Practice: Mixed Methods Evaluation of an Online Safety Hub to Address Harmful Online Content in Relation to Self-Harm and Suicide.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Public and mental health professionals' perspectives on social media and suicide exposure.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Painfully Sensitive: How Sensory Processing Sensitivity Affects Healthy Adolescents' Perception of Pain.Journal of pain research · 2025Article
- The Journey of Engaging With Web-Based Self-Harm and Suicide Content: Longitudinal Qualitative Study.JMIR infodemiology · 2024Article
- Acceptability and Feasibility of "Village," a Digital Communication App for Young People Experiencing Low Mood, Thoughts of Self-harm, and Suicidal Ideation to Obtain Support From Family and Friends: Mixed Methods Pilot Open Trial.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Suicide risk detection using artificial intelligence: the promise of creating a benchmark dataset for research on the detection of suicide risk.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Article
- Health Promotion on Instagram: Descriptive-Correlational Study and Predictive Factors of Influencers' Content.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Leveraging data science to enhance suicide prevention research: a literature review.Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention · 2022Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Given concerns about suicide or self-harm content on Instagram, we conducted a systematic scoping review of peer-reviewed English language primary studies published between 2010-2019. Only ten studies had been published. Looking into purposive samples of Instagram posts tagged with self-harm related hashtags, studies report finding self-harm or suicide content in between 9-66% of their studied posts. Studies assessing Instagram's efforts to tackle such content found they had not been very effective. Despite heterogeneity in study aims, use of terminology, samples, methods of analysis, and study outcomes, we aggregated and distinguished 'content studies' and 'user studies'. Most studies showed concern for self-harm risk, but only one examined the relationship between self-harm posts and actual self-harm behaviours offline. It found such content had negative emotional effects on some users and reported preliminary evidence of potential harmful effects in relation to self-harm related behaviours offline, although causal effects cannot be claimed. At the same time, some benefits for those who engage with self-harm content online have been suggested. More research directly interviewing Instagram users to understand this phenomenon from their perspective is required. Finally, some ethical issues are discussed.
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