Online monitors are warning of a surge in teens and young adults cutting their skin, sharing photos of wounds on social media, and encouraging others in the harmful online community to cut themselves deeper and deeper.
Researchers from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) and Rutgers University have seen a 500 percent increase in the use of coded self-harm hashtags, driving tens of thousands of posts each month.
They warned of concerned young people encouraging each other to cut themselves deeper and more often, even with “life-threatening, self-inflicted” wounds, and called on social media companies to crack down on the accounts.
Alex Goldenberg, who wrote the disturbing 19-page report, told that Twitter’s self-harm community has been allowed to grow, including “celebrating, glorifying and promoting self-harm.”
“These communities are organizing on the dark web and, despite warnings, have surged on Twitter in October 2021,” Goldenberg said.
“Our concern is that if this community continues to grow unabated, the risk of serious injury or even death will also increase.”
Online monitors warn of a five-fold increase in teens cutting their skin and sharing photos of cuts on social media. Individuals with mental health issues can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255
Twitter’s self-harm community uses hashtags, use of which has increased fivefold since October. does not identify these hashtags in order to limit the number of young people accessing the disturbing material
According to the study by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) and Rutgers University, self-injurers also share photos of their tools of the trade, including razor blades and box cutters
The Mayo Clinic says that self-injurers cut themselves “to deal with emotional pain, intense anger, and frustration,” and cuts bring about a “temporary sense of calm and a release of tension,” often accompanied by “guilt and… Shame” to be followed.
While they don’t typically attempt suicide, serious and even fatal injuries can and do occur. Those who self-harm should seek professional help, and their friends, family, and teachers should offer support.
The UK-based charity 5Rights alerted Twitter to the crazy fad in October, but researchers are finding the social media giant hasn’t cracked down hard enough on the self-harming accounts that violate its suicide and self-harm policy.
The study sheds light on how social media companies like Twitter struggle to disrupt problematic content, even when restricting depictions of “blood and serious physical harm” that “promote or encourage” self-harm.
A Twitter spokesman told the platform is weighing an “extremely complex and sensitive issue”.
“While we proactively monitor and remove content that violates our suicide and self-harm policies, we also allow people to share their struggles or seek help,” the spokesperson said.
The Mayo Clinic says that self-injurers cut themselves “to deal with emotional pain, intense anger, and frustration” and gain a “temporary sense of calm and relaxation” from cutting, often followed by “guilt and shame.”
Online self-injurers quickly developed their own slang terms for the depth, pattern, and complexity of cuts. In their slang, “raspberry fill” means blood and “beans” refers to deep sores under the skin that have the appearance of beans
“The evidence shows that the Twitter community is an important and invaluable source of support.”
The company filters content so terms of concern don’t appear at the top of searches. It also works with third-party groups to refer people searching for self-harming content for support via the hashtag #ThereIsHelp.
Of particular concern is how online self-harm users have quickly developed their own slang terms for the depth, pattern, and complexity of cuts that lead other users to “escalate their self-harm behavior,” researchers said.
“Photographs showing bloodier and heavier, dangerously deep wounds and more complex cuts and/or cuts are more widely shared than those showing less severe wounds,” the report said.
In their slang, “cat scratch” refers to superficial cuts, “armgills” describes a fish gill pattern, “raspberry fill” means blood, and “beans” refers to deep cuts under the skin that have the appearance of beans.
The researchers also found evidence that online predators, of which the FBI says there are about 500,000, present themselves as minors and engage with youth to encourage further self-harm.
They also spotted rapidly growing Twitter communities glorifying eating disorders and mass shootings, saying the discoveries of self-harm and suicide were just the “tip of the iceberg.”
“Twitter, in its current configuration, is not a suitable platform for people under the age of 18,” they concluded, noting that the platform allows users 13 and older, but still does little to verify the age of account holders.
The researchers also found evidence that online predators, of which the FBI says there are about 500,000, present themselves as minors and engage with youth to encourage further self-harm