There's a disturbing trend happening on social media as a growing number of teens and young adults are committing suicide on Facebook Live. The latest video that has allegedly gone viral was that of a 14-year-old Miami native, Nakia Venant.
Venant, described as a petite teenager with a sweet smile, live streamed her suicide on Sunday night. According to the Miami Herald, she took her life inside the bathroom of a Miami Gardens home using a scarf attached to a "shower glass door frame."
Venant's Facebook Live feed went on for two hours before it was cut. According to the New York Post, emergency units tried to prevent her from killing herself after a friend reported the live stream to the police.
Only, the expected help failed to reach the teenager in time because the unit went to the wrong address. Authorities put Venant's time of death at 3:03 a.m.
Miami Gardens Police Department are investigating the incident with the Florida Department of Children & Families. Venant is apparently living with her foster parents who were asleep when the suicide happened.
The incident follows the suicide of a 12-year-old girl, Katelyn Nichole Davis, from Georgia. Snopes reports Davis live streamed her suicide on the internet in December. It is alleged that Davis was a victim of abuse and has hinted about being beaten and raped on her Facebook in the past.
Broadcasting suicides live on the internet is not exclusive to the U.S. as there have also been similar incidents reported in Hong Kong, France and Thailand. Christine Chen of Facebook told New York Post that live stream videos featuring suicide attempts are shut down if detected and then later deleted. The social media site commits to taking these videos down "as quickly as possible."
As a parent, are you concerned about this trend among social media users? What are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments!
