Reddit to launch new suicide prevention tools

You’ll be able to flag users you feel may be at risk

by Jay Peters

Mar 4, 2020, 6:00 PM UTC

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Jay Peters is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.

Today, Reddit is announcing new tools to help with suicide prevention, offered in partnership with the Crisis Text Line. The feature will let users report others who appear to be at risk so that Reddit can provide them with suicide prevention resources when they might need them most.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.

In the US:

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741-741 from anywhere in the US, at any time, about any type of crisis.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline). The original phone number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), is available as well.

The Trevor Project: Text START to 678-678 or call 1-866-488-7386 at any time to speak to a trained counselor.

Outside the US:

The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

Befrienders Worldwide has a network of crisis helplines active in 48 countries. Click here to find them.

Starting March 10th, if a Reddit user flags another user as potentially at risk, that user will get a private message with suicide prevention resources and a recommendation to text CHAT to 741741, which is the number for the Crisis Text Line. When someone texts that number, a trained crisis counselor will be available for support. The Crisis Text Line is also available to the person who flagged the at-risk user if they need some support, too.

Reddit’s flagging tools are similar to those already offered by Facebook and Twitter. Snapchat has a page listing global suicide prevention resources that you can reference or share with someone who might need them. There are also suicide prevention apps available on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store — though a study published in December found that some suicide prevention apps had incorrect or nonfunctional contact information for crisis help lines.

If you or anyone you know are in need of suicide prevention resources, we’ve included a sidebar in this article with contact information for resources that may help.

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