South Korea's media watchdog debates blocking self-harm images on social media amid youth concerns

Social media platforms are a significant factor in the rise of self-harm among adolescents, with graphic images and related hashtags readily available on platforms like X (formerly Twitter). These posts often detail the user's struggles and receive supportive comments, creating a cycle of validation and imitation.

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I want to live, not die.

The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) recently debated how to address these self-harm images. While the KCSC typically reviews such content on a case-by-case basis, a recent decision involved 21 posts on X. The secretariat recommended against blocking them, noting that some images showed less severe injuries compared to other "graphic/hateful" content. However, KCSC members were divided. Commissioner Choi Sun-young argued for blocking all self-harm images, regardless of severity, due to their potential to increase access to self-harm methods and create a "contagion effect." Conversely, Commissioner Kim Min-jeong suggested that blocking might not be the best approach, proposing instead to offer support resources for adolescents who might see these posts as their only outlet.

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It's not a healthy method, but it's the only outlet for adolescents. Is constantly deleting it the right way?

Ultimately, the commission voted 4-1 not to block the images. This decision contrasts with expert opinions, such as those of Ahn Woon-kyung, a research professor specializing in adolescent self-harm and suicide at Dankook University. Ahn argues that blocking alone is insufficient and can push users to more closed platforms. She advocates for a combined approach of content blocking with the provision of support links and emphasizes the need to regulate social media algorithms that promote high-viewership content, increasing its spread.

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The traces were very widespread in the photos, so they could be sufficiently seen as self-harm traces. It's an image that no parent would want to show their child and say 'it's freedom of expression.'

Ahn also points to international precedents. Australia's eSafety Commissioner designated self-harm and suicide-related content as "harmful to minors" in March, requiring platforms to actively seek out and remove such content and improve algorithms to minimize child exposure. Similarly, the UK's Online Safety Act classifies content that promotes or assists serious self-harm as illegal. In contrast, South Korea does not classify self-harm information as illegal content, with government ministries stating it doesn't meet criteria for age-based prohibition or direct suicide promotion, overlooking the significant risk it poses, particularly to adolescents.

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Visualizing pain. It's expressing one's inner self, which is difficult to explain verbally, through self-harm. When those photos get 'likes' or comments, they receive attention, and the cycle repeats.