Similar to another petition here on Change.org concerning eating disorder Twitter (#edtwt), self-harm Twitter (#shtwt) is a dangerous and unhealthy community.

I should preface this with the fact that these hashtags contain VERY graphic content, so if you are sensitive to blood, gore, self-harm, or similar things, DO NOT GO INTO THIS COMMUNITY.

What you can typically find there are photos of self-harm, ranging from mild to extreme, with cute filters and stickers, or words like “cute,” “pretty,” or “sexy” describing the open wounds on people’s bodies. I often see people seeking advice on how to cut deeper or how to treat their wounds, including some instances where people cut too deep and didn’t know how to control the bleeding or people whose wounds got infected. 

It’s blatantly against Twitter’s policies (encouraging self-harm & being in danger OF self-harming), as well as furthering the stigma of “cutting is for attention.” I was addicted to self-harm for a long time in high school but understand that there are lines being crossed in these Twitter hashtags—and there are a few dozen hashtags at least. Romanticizing, encouraging, glorifying, and bragging about self-harm is both dangerous and insulting. Not to mention, I’ve seen several different instances of these graphic self-harm hashtags mixed in with other hashtags, exposing and triggering others who do not wish to see blood and wounds. Please help to get Twitter to act.

It’s not long before someone dies or severely injures themselves trying to fit in with this community. Here are some more tags to ban:

#shtwt #selfharm #selfharmtwt #Barcodetwt #Catscratchtwt

Resources for anyone who is, or knows someone who is, struggling with self-harm or suicide.

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

• Crisis Text Line: https://www.crisistextline.org/topics/self-harm/

• You Matter Suicide Prevention Hotline: https://youmatter.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/about-you-matter-2/

• Self-Injury Outreach & Support: http://sioutreach.org/