Suicide online: Facebook aims to save lives with new actions

ATLANTA (AP) — The alarming video of a Georgia teenager livestreaming her own suicide attempt stayed up long enough on Facebook Live for sheriff’s deputies to find and save her — a repeat phenomenon that has prompted mental health experts and Facebook’s CEO to further investigate how they can use social media as a possible platform to help save lives.

The 15-year-old girl took pills and put a plastic bag over her head during her suicide attempt May 2, officials from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said. A sheriff’s sergeant found the girl unresponsive — but with a pulse — and she’s expected to recover.

In April, Facebook was alerted to another possible suicide and made the decision to keep the video up, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a conference call last week.

That allowed law enforcement “to use that live video to communicate with that person and help save their life,” he said.

“So a lot of what we’re trying to do is not just about taking the content down but also about helping people when they’re in need on the platform.”

In Georgia, a viewer watching the teen’s livestream called 911. Only the teen’s friends could view the video because of the girl’s privacy settings, but Bibb County sheriff’s Sgt. Linda Howard had a nephew who was friends with her on Facebook.