Suicide and self-harm prevention on social media: A systematic review of interventions and user-led practices

Social media platforms are commonly used to seek help for suicide and self-harm, yet their role in suicide prevention remains underexamined. This systematic review updated a 2016 review, synthesising 11 years of empirical research on the use of social media for self-harm and suicide prevention. A systematic search of five databases was conducted in April 2025, and data on the prevention activity or intervention and any reported outcomes were extracted. From 16,476 records, 75 studies met inclusion criteria and were classified as describing: intervention development or format (17%), intervention evaluation (19%), user experiences (34%) or online behaviours (29%). Social media-based intervention research has grown considerably - where the earlier review found no such studies, this update identified 27 studies (36%). While evidence generally supports their safety, acceptability and feasibility, this evidence was largely limited to short-term outcomes, and heterogeneity in approaches and outcome measures precluded conclusions about comparative benefit. Community-led practices (e.g., peer support) provided social connection, although benefits coexisted with risks including exposure to graphic and instructional content. Users described social media platforms as important avenues for help-seeking, particularly when offline support was inaccessible. Harnessing the preventive potential of social media while minimising harm will require rigorous longitudinal research and multisectoral collaboration to translate evidence into policy and practice.