Incidents of suicide— Have media ethics died a natural death?

At least five known incidents of youth deaths by suicide happened in Sri Lanka during the first three months of 2025. While the situations varied, each incident took away a young life which could have been prevented if proper interventions had been sought. In a recent incident, the young victim had posted a status on social media prior to taking his own life. The posts which included her being chatted on social media with users continuing to comment on the loss of an innocent life, indicates the level of stress that the individual had to endure during his short lifespan.

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According to the College of Community Physicians, over 200 cases of child suicide were reported in 2024 alone, and medical experts link the surge in cases to the negative impacts of social media. Studies indicate that social media usage affects children, adolescents and adults differently. Social media images have a significant impact on the body image and potential deviant behaviour of an average adolescent. However, one major difference between adults and adolescents is that adolescents are among the most vulnerable and sensitive period of their lives. It is common to see digital content creators constantly uploading their skin care routines, diet plans and showing slim figures creating an unrealistic image to users. But for an adolescent, these unattainable and unrealistic body sizes could be her ultimate goal. As a result, they eventually fail, and this failure leads to body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, eating disorders and/or depression. Global research indicates that excessive social media usage among children has been linked to increasing psy