"We are committed to continually improving our ability to act on self-harm content, and also to keeping Tumblr a positive, supportive environment for those individuals dealing with issues of depression and self-harm".
Social networking site Tumblr said it was committed to continually improving its ability to act on self-harm content after a mother called on every parent to be aware of the dangers of the internet.
After the verdict, Tumblr said it was "committed to continually improving our ability to act on self-harm content".
The same cannot really be said for Tumblr users who are seeking out self-harm content, however.
Simply put, the company attempts to make the most serious self-harm content unfindable by the general public.
Whether they're browsing self-harm content on Tumblr and Instagram, or vlogging their most heinous thoughts – as did the Santa Barbara shooter who threatened to "punish" "you girls" in his YouTube videos before his terrible spree.
Ashley Womble, Director of Communications for the subsidiary of Mental Health Association of New York City (MHA-NYC), which handles the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, also agrees that by its very nature, Tumblr is home to more self-harm content than others.
While one could argue that a social media service has no business or responsibility to police the images or posts that appear on its platform, it's worth noting that when it comes to "self harm" content, all the major sites have taken action.
– UK could ban social media over self-harm content, health secretary says.
Do you think Instagram should follow Tumblr and Pinterest's leads and crack down on self-harm content?
Other than pushing social media sites to take larger steps in removing self-harm content off their platforms, parents need to be involved in their children's lives as a way to combat depression or other mental health problems.
