The eSafety Commissioner on Tuesday confirmed distressing reports about an explicit video of a suicide circulating social media platforms. eSafety has contacted social media companies about the reports and will continue working with them to monitor the situation. Reports indicate that the video has been reshared on platforms including (but not limited to) Tik Tok, Snapchat Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. To increase the likelihood of children opening the link it has alarmingly also been edited and reshared to begin with general content (images of cats) before switching to the footage of a bearded man sitting in front of a computer.

What parents should be doing immediately?

• Increase supervision of all screen time
• Strictly no devices in bedrooms. It is safest to keep devices in communal areas.
• Open up a conversation to encourage your children to come to you if they see something “disturbing” online (see link below for ideas about what to say, particularly how to prepare kids before an issue occurs)
• Remind your children that they always have 24/7 access to support via Kids Helpline (www.kidshelpline.com.au)
• Don’t hesitate to seek advice from a professional (e.g. doctor, psychologist, school counsellor) should you have any concerns about your child's mental health, particularly with regard to suicide risk issues.

• Further information: What to do when your child sees something disturbing online

  We are encouraging people who encounter this content to report it to the social media platform they’ve seen it on and to eSafety at www.esafety.gov.au/report/illegal-harmful-content. 

  Parents, please consider this current issue as further evidence as to why it is not appropriate or safe for primary school age children to be on social media.