Facebook, the social networking giant, has decided to make its platform more sensitive and safe for its users. According to the company, the safety of its users is their most important responsibility.
The social networking giant has come up with various updated tools that would provide advice, support and more resources to users struggling with suicidal thoughts. These tools were announced at its fifth Compassion Research Day held on 25th February.
Now, if you see an unusual, worrisome post from your friend, you can help that friend by reporting the post to Facebook. After you have reported the post, Facebook will get the post reviewed from a third party and prompt the user to get help the next time he/she logins into their accounts.
The California based company closely worked with mental health organizations like Forefront, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Save.org, Now Matters Now and various others on developing these updates. It also consulted people who had lived experience with suicide or self-injury in the past.
Facebook will get the reported posts reviewed by a third party as it doesn’t want its users to be a victim of unwanted pranks from the hands of their friends. The social networking site has various teams working 24x7, round the clock to review any report that comes their way. The team reviews and prioritizes the most serious posts and sends helps and resources to the users in distress.
Besides encouraging such distressed users to connect with a mental health expert at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Facebook will also give them the option of reaching out to a friend, and provide advice and tips on how they can work through such feelings. Facebook has created all these resources in conjunction with its academic and clinical partners.
These updates will be rolled out to Facebook users in the United States over the next couple of months. The social networking giant also plans to improve its tools for its users outside the US. This step taken by the company to make Facebook a sensitive and safe platform has received an overwhelming response from its users all around the world.
Advertisements