Remove “How to Hang Yourself” and “How to Tie a Noose” Videos From YouTube
Remove “How to Hang Yourself” and “How to Tie a Noose” Videos From YouTube
70% of teen suicides are considered impulsive.
25-40% of teen suicides are planned only 5-10 minutes before the act.
Is it any surprise that suicide has become the 2nd leading cause of death with teens? Thanks to YouTube’s step by step instructions, suicidal kids can have a plan in just a few clicks and thus, suicide by hanging has risen dramatically in the past 20 years. Suicide by hanging has become the number one way females ages 10-24 are killing themselves. If those videos were not available, how many kids would still be alive?
My name is Jen and I have been a therapist for teens for 20+ years in New Jersey. I am also the founder of Promly, a social networking digital ecosystem with mental health support built in for Gen. Z that aims to get 10 steps ahead of teen suicide (release date 2021-follow us @promlyapp or see Promly.org for updates and opportunities to get involved).
Through Promly’s nonprofit initiative, we have already gotten the attention of 26 members of Congress who have joined us in working together to push YouTube to make changes. Those members, led by Rep. Susan Wild’s office, sent a Congressional letter to YouTube in 2020 asking YouTube to make necessary live saving changes.
We also met with those members of Congress and a YouTube lobbyist in February, 2021 to apply more pressure to YouTube to make changes.
Even with the pressure from Congress, YouTube has done very little to make changes.
Thus, WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please sign and share as much as possible as your signature really does matter and will only strengthen our position as we push YouTube with the help of Congress.
The more disturbing part is that Youtube KNOWS these videos are dangerous. They post a barely visible grayscale tab at the top of the “how to tie a noose” and “how to hang yourself” video list suggesting the suicide hotline and crisis text now .
YouTube needs to make better choices. They have the tremendous power to save lives. What are they waiting for? When are we going to do the right thing, speak up, and protect kids?