Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention on Social Media: A Systematic Review of Interventions and User-Led Practices (2014–2025)
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Social media platforms are commonly used for self-harm and suicide-related help-seeking, yet their role in suicide prevention remains underexamined. Synthesising eleven years of empirical research (2014–2025), this review examines the use of social media for self-harm and suicide prevention, focusing on platform-based interventions, user-led practices, and evidence on safety, acceptability and efficacy. In April 2025, a systematic search of five databases identified studies published since 2014. Extracted data included details of the prevention activity or intervention examined and any reported outcomes. Study quality was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. From 16,476 records, 75 studies met inclusion criteria and were classified as reporting either: intervention development or format (17%), intervention evaluation (19%), user experiences (34%) or online behaviours (29%). Social media-based interventions included purpose-designed social networking interventions, programs combining AI-driven risk detection with in-platform interventions, and educational campaigns promoting safe online communication about self-harm and suicide. Community-led practices such as sharing recovery stories and suicide-related peer support provided social connection and emotional relief, though these benefits coexisted with risks including exposure to graphic and instructional content. Users described social media platforms as important avenues for suicide-related help-seeking, particularly when offline clinical support was inaccessible. Few studies evaluated intervention effectiveness or measured changes in self-harm or suicidal behaviour, and most relied on small, non-representative samples. This review reveals a broad range of user-led suicide prevention activities alongside a growing number of platform-based suicide prevention interventions. Rigorous longitudinal and experimental research is needed to determine efficacy and guide safe implementation in real-world settings.
