A person looking at the Samaritans website page on the internet and suicide. Chris O’Donovan Photography/Samaritans
Samaritans made tackling harmful suicide and self-harm content a priority in the 2023 Online Safety Act.
The Campaign
As the Online Safety Bill passed through Parliament, it presented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to achieve a suicide-safer internet.
While the internet can be an extremely helpful resource for people experiencing feelings of self-harm and suicide, online content can also unfortunately encourage or worsen these feelings. A 2017 inquiry into suicides of young people found suicide-related internet use in nearly 26% of deaths in under-20s, and 13% of deaths in 20 – 24 year-olds.
The internet can play an important role in suicide prevention so it’s important that online platforms take responsibility for protecting supportive spaces and preventing harmful content. This campaign sought to influence the Bill to reduce access to harmful suicide and self-harm content online for people of all ages.
A woman is sitting on the sofa, holding onto her phone. Chris O’Donovan Photography/Samaritans
It’s great to see recognition of the tireless work of our campaigners and volunteers. They supported Samaritans to influence the Online Safety Act, which was a landmark moment for suicide prevention. We will continue to campaign for a safer internet, so that all sites with dangerous suicide content are held to account in order to prevent more lives being lost.”
Julie Bentley, CEO
A woman is sitting on the sofa, holding onto her phone. Chris O’Donovan Photography/Samaritans
It’s great to see recognition of the tireless work of our campaigners and volunteers. They supported Samaritans to influence the Online Safety Act, which was a landmark moment for suicide prevention. We will continue to campaign for a safer internet, so that all sites with dangerous suicide content are held to account in order to prevent more lives being lost.”
Julie Bentley, CEO
The Change
This campaign changed the law. They successfully achieved their overall aim of ensuring that the new UK online safety regime prioritises tackling suicide and self-harm content.
The Online Safety Act will:
- Require all platforms to ensure adults and children can’t access any illegal suicide and self-harm content
- Require extra protection for under 18s for all harmful suicide and self-harm content
- Allow for platforms that aren’t as big as some of the most well-known sites to be included in the regulations if they host harmful suicide and self-harm content
- Create a new offence of maliciously encouraging or assisting self-harm – in every nation of the UK.
Samaritans played an important role in the outcome of the Bill. They were mentioned throughout debates on the Bill in both the Commons and Lords, by Parliamentarians on all sides, and by Government ministers.
The passage of the Bill through Parliament was extraordinary – it was first suggested in 2019, entered pre-legislative scrutiny in 2021 and finally passed in late 2023. Throughout the Bill’s journey, Samaritans kept their campaigners engaged and kept looking towards the future, believing change was possible.
The Future
Everyone deserves a safer internet, so they’re keeping up the good work and the campaign continues to have an impact throughout the UK. They’re now influencing Ofcom codes of practice to make these requirements a reality and working across civil society to reduce all online harms.
Their innovative partnership with tech platforms means that they’re not just a campaigning charity, they’re also doing practical work to create a suicide-safer internet, which will continue now the Act has passed.
Who else was involved?
We had brilliant support from across the whole Samaritans community. Many of our volunteers wrote to their MPs on this issue, including those living in the constituencies of those who were most able to make a difference.
We were also pleased to work in coalition at numerous strategic points of the campaign, including co-ordinating a letter to the Prime Minister from 14 suicide prevention and mental health organisations and workingacross both Houses of Parliament to table amendments.
