Social networking suicide links

The recent spate of deaths and attempted suicides in Bridgend, South Wales, has sparked an investigation by local coroner Phillip Walters into the links between social networking sites and suicide.

Mr Walters expressed serious concerns and urged parents to remain vigilant. Local Bridgend teenager Anne-Marie Eagle, 17, is a cousin of Liam Clarke, 20 and a close friend of Natasha Randall, 17, both of whom committed suicide in recent months. Anne-Marie said that suicide had become a trend and was considered ?a cool thing to do?. She added, ?I have thought about doing it myself. With all the deaths, I have got very upset and depressed but I could never be that selfish?.

Leah Phillips, 15, also attempted to commit suicide by hanging herself but her stepfather, David, 50, found her in time to save her. Leah was taken to hospital where she spent three days in intensive care. Her mother, Tina, 41, said: ?Leah says she doesn?t know why she did it. She honestly can?t remember much about it.?

The investigation being undertaken by Mr Walters, the Bridgend and Glamorgan Valleys coroner, will involve close examination of social networking sites in the hope of discovering how young people are being influenced to take their own lives.

With more than 9,000 websites alone dedicated to suicide, parental controls over internet access is becoming a hot topic with a growing number of software packages available on the market in an attempt to protect the vulnerable.