If you see something worrying on a Live broadcast, Facebook is making it easier for you to get help.
The company is introducing new suicide prevention measures, including crisis support and streamlined reporting. It’s aiming to help at-risk people on Facebook Live and Messenger.
If you see something concerning on a Live broadcast, you will see an option to contact an organization to get help for yourself or the broadcaster. Participating organizations are Crisis Text Line, the National Eating Disorders Association, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
The company rolled out rudimentary versions of these tools last year, which allowed you to flag worrying content for review by Facebook. Now instead you can chat directly with the organizations via Messenger.
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Content is also monitored by artificial intelligence, which uses pattern recognition to spot potentially-suicidal people and reach out to them even if no one has reported them yet.
Earlier this year a 12-year-old girl committed suicide on a livestream. Videos of her death then found their way onto Facebook and took two weeks for the company to purge.
If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or experiencing intense feelings of anxiety or depression, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. For a similar helpline in your country, please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
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