Teenage girl commits suicide in Malaysia after consulting her followers on Instagram – 15/05/2019

A teenager from Malaysia who published a survey on her Instagram account to find out if she should live or die has committed suicide after the majority of his supporters vote in favor of his death. The girl's family will sue Facebook for what happened.

"It's very important, help me choose between D / L," the 16-year-old from Sarawak wrote on Monday, according to information posted on Astro Awani's website. The letter D refers to "death" ("death") and "life" ("life").

The vote, tragic for the young woman, resulted in a result both scandalous and disturbing: 69% of the participants voted for the death and 31% for life, according to the local police. The teenager jumped from the terrace of a building, supposedly by her own will.

Look also

Clarin Bulletins

Networks of the planet | We tell you what are the most shared stories on Facebook and what trends have been followed on Twitter and Instagram.

Every week.

Malaysian MP Ramkarpal Singh called for an investigation "to prevent further abuse on social networks in similar circumstances in the future".

"Would she be alive if most of her supporters had dissuaded her from killing herself?"he asked in a statement. In Malaysia, laws punish the incitement to a minor's suicide, including the death penalty.

For his part, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Syed Saddiq, is worried about the mental health of the young people of his country and said that "it is a national problem that must be treated seriously. ".

Look also

In February, Instagram announced that it would launch "sensitivity screens" to block self-destructing images. The measure followed the death of the British teenager Molly Russell, whose parents believe they saw images of suicide and self-harm in the application before committing suicide in 2017, at the age of 14.

Ching Yee Wong, head of Asia-Pacific social network communications, conveyed his condolences to the family, who decided to sue Facebook, according to local media reports.

The official acknowledged that the social network, owned by Facebook, had "The important responsibility to ensure that Instagram users feel safe and supported".

Look also

"As part of our own efforts, we urge everyone to use our information tools and to contact emergency services if they observe behavior that endangers the safety of people", he added.

Source: AFP