Student suicide prevention body in talks with Google and Facebook to help at-risk Hongkongers

Tools include flagging worrying posts and featuring help tips more prominently

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Paul Yip Siu-fai of HKU said most young people who committed suicide had shown warning signs. Photo: David Wong

Published: 2:37pm, 3 Sep 2017Updated: 11:23pm, 3 Sep 2017

A government-appointed student suicide prevention committee has been in talks with Google and Facebook on how to identify and help young people in Hong Kong who have suicidal tendencies.

Citing an official report released last week on child fatality, Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, who chairs the committee, said on Sunday that about 70 per cent of young Hongkongers who committed suicide had shown warning signs in different ways.

More than half of Hong Kong secondary school pupils show symptoms of depression, quarter display signs of anxiety

“We have been discussing with Google and Facebook how to respond actively when some people show warning signs online and how to identify this group of people as soon as possible,” Yip said.

“These signs may not just be a phone call, but also WhatsApp messages, emojis and Facebook posts.”

Facebook has introduced a tool to enable users to flag posts from friends who show suicidal warning signs. Photo: NurPhoto/Sipa USA

Facebook has introduced a suicide prevention tool enabling users to flag posts from friends who show warning signs. The company then sends a list of options to the people whose activity has raised concern, including reaching out to a friend, contacting a helpline or viewing tips.

Yip said the committee wanted to work with the company to establish a pattern of suicidal Facebook posts and set up an “early warning system” based on the data.