The Mental Health Foundation is urging media giants to put safety ahead of profits.
The message comes after Netflix decided to remove a graphic three-minute suicide scene from the controversial TV series 13 Reasons Why two years after it first aired, and more than a month after US studies found a correlation between the series and a spike in suicide rates.
The TV depiction of 17-year-old Hannah Baker's suicide in 13 Reasons Why was highly criticised in 2017, when it first aired on Netflix. It was slammed for glamorising her death and encouraging copy-cat behaviour.
Now, a US study has found an almost 30 percent increase in suicide rates among those aged 10 to17 in the month following the release of the programme.
Another study saw a 15 percent increase over the same period, but for ages 10 to19, and a 13 percent increase over three months.
"This was entirely predictable and it's just really really tragic that the series was actually aired," says Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson.
Netflix says it has now decided to remove the three-minute, graphic suicide scene on the advice of medical experts.
The decision comes just months before the new season's release.
"They've left the scene in there for two years, despite being told that it had a negative impact throughout that time, so I guess I'm fairly cynical," says Robinson.
It's unknown if 13 Reasons Why has had the same effect here. What is clear, however, is that New Zealand's youth suicide rates are among the highest in the OECD.
Just last night youth MP Lily Dorrance was criticised by Deputy Speaker Anne Tolley during her speech on the topic in Parliament.
And while the National MP has apologised, experts are unimpressed.
"We need to hear from the young people and give them a voice," says Ekant Veer, associate dean of postgraduate research at Canterbury University.
Veer says Canterbury University research has found a link between mental health and social media.
"The more engagement you have with social media in an unhealthy manner, the more likely that's going to have an impact on your mental health," he says.
Today, Instagram announced it no longer likes the 'like' system because of the pressure it puts on its users. It has now implemented changes so New Zealanders will no longer be able to see how many likes someone has on a picture or video that they post.
The Mental Health Foundation says Netflix needs to take a leaf out of Instagram's book, with Robinson urging them to put safety of people ahead of profits.
Newshub.
