New study exploring the impact of #chatsafe guidelines to support young people exposed to suicide

A new study from Orygen examining the impact of the #chatsafe guidelines on young people's ability to communicate online safely after being exposed to a suicide death has been released.

#chatsafe guidelines support young people in navigating safe online conversations about self-harm and suicide. Developed by Orygen, in partnership with young people, the evidence-based guidelines help young people talk about or respond to any content on social media or other digital platforms that contain self-harm or suicide-related content.

The study 'Acceptability and Potential Impact of the #chatsafe Suicide Postvention Response Among Young People Who Have Been Exposed to Suicide: Pilot Study' saw researchers test an intervention that provided 266 young people with the skills to communicate safely online about suicide after being exposed to a suicide death using the #chatsafe guidelines as the tool supporting young people to communicate safely.

Results of the study demonstrated that participants were more willing to intervene in online communications about suicide online and had higher confidence to communicate safely about suicide.

With the potential for social media and digital media platforms to play a significant role in postvention approaches, interventions like #chatsafe may support safe communications and reduce distress and future suicidal behaviour in young people after exposure to a suicide death.