*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.
Reuters reported on Friday that a suicide prevention hotline number had been removed from Twitter for a few days.
The hotline was part of the #ThereIsHelp pop-up banner that was displayed when certain topics were searched. Along with the suicide prevention hotline, the feature also included safety resources for mental and physical health issues, natural disasters, violence, and COVID-19, among others.
On Saturday, Twitter owner Elon Musk took to his platform to negate the Reuters report, calling it "fake news."
He tweeted:
"1. The message is actually still up. This is fake news."
"2. Twitter doesn't prevent suicide."
1. The message is actually still up. This is fake news.
2. Twitter doesn’t prevent suicide.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2022
He later replied to Reuters Tech News:
"False, it is still there."
\u201c@ReutersTech False, it is still there\u201d— Reuters Tech News (@Reuters Tech News) 1671858604
However, Twitter's head of trust and safety Ella Irwin confirmed to Reuters:
"We have been fixing and revamping our prompts."
"They were just temporarily removed while we do that."
She assured:
"We expect to have them back up next week."
Disagreeing with Musk, Irwin also stated:
"We know [the resources] are useful."
The disappearance of the hotline sparked outrage against many users.
are you calling your head of trust & safety ella irwin a liar, because she’s quoted in the piece saying otherwise
— Marlow Stern (@MarlowNYC) December 24, 2022
\u201c@ben2calderon @HuffPost People talk about killing themselves on social media, especially teens. When they are either reported by someone concerned or the algorithm picks it up, it puts the suicide prevention hotline number up with some encouraging words to get them to call on their twitter\u201d— HuffPost (@HuffPost) 1672029714
\u201cTwitter removes the suicide prevention feature during the holidays when folks are particularly vulnerable to loneliness & depression\n\nPlease help me spread the suicide prevention hotline: 800-273-8255\n\nHD message to all: You're beautiful, special, & loved\nhttps://t.co/wG4GFa7weY\u201d— HawaiiDelilah\u2122 (@HawaiiDelilah\u2122) 1671844972
Seemed odd & shocking they removed it in the first place !
— end-coercion-in-care (@NHSandLAabuse) December 25, 2022
\u201cRegarding suspension of the Suicide Prevention Hotline link on Twitter, and his lying/offensive response about it, I see that Elon is nowhere near done torching the Tesla brand or its stock\u201d— Fascist Daddy Warbucks (@Fascist Daddy Warbucks) 1672073271
\u201c\u2066@elonmusk\u2069 1. You called this fake news despite Twitter\u2019s Ella Irwin confirming it. 2. You stated Twitter doesn\u2019t prevent suicide (well duh!), but the suicide prevention info you turned off does help prevent suicides. 3. You no common sense\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2640\ufe0f https://t.co/CDeEqFkzWB\u201d— GrammaBear (@GrammaBear) 1672108798
\u201cThe holiday season can be a really hard time for folks. \n\nThe new owner of Twitter might not think it\u2019s a necessary feature, but I do.\n\nThe suicide prevention hotline is 800-273-8255.\n\nIf you\u2019re struggling, please call. \nI promise someone wants to hear you.\u201d— Kelli Windsor (@Kelli Windsor) 1671898097
\u201cBecause Twitter is led by people with no connection to any sort of reality, they have stopped promoting support for suicide prevention. They say it\u2019s being restored next week BUT holidays are when so many at risk. Call or text 988 for suicide prevention hotline. Pass it on.\u201d— Brooke Hammerling (@Brooke Hammerling) 1671847348
On Saturday, Twitter Inc restored the feature, which has been renamed "Help is Available."
The banner now pops up in many countries when key words connected to self-harm, suicide, and domestic violence are searched.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
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