A 16-year-old Malaysian girl has committed suicide after sharing a poll to her Instagram followers in which she asked whether they thought she should live or die, Business Insider reported.
Instagram has recently implemented new safety features to protect young users on the social media site.
In February, the platform announced the introduction of “sensitivity screen”s which would hide images of self-harm from young users.
The filter also implements a pop-up alert for people who search hashtags or terms related to self-harm or suicide. The pop-up includes a warning to users and offers a link to supportive resources.
These measures were launched following allegations that a Britsh teen’s suicide was related to Instagram.
Molly Russell’s parents have come forward to express their belief that their 14-year-old daughter took her own life after being exposed to graphic self-harm and suicide imagery on Instagram, Refinery29 reported.
At the time of the allegations, Instagram insisted it “does not allow content that promotes or glorifies self-harm or suicide.”
According to the BBC , a statement from the website also said Instagram would be removing all content of this kind in an attempt to shield young people from harmful imagery.
While Instagram has made efforts to create a safe environment for users, one Malaysian teen used the site to determine her own fate.
The unnamed girl reportedly posted a poll to her Instagram followers on Monday at about 3 pm and asked, “Really Important, Hep Me Choose D/L”.
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It is presumed the D meant Death and the L meant Life.
The results of the girl’s poll showed 69 percent of her followers voted “D”.
About five hours after posting the poll, the girl was found dead, having jumped from the third floor of a shopping center in Sarawak, Borneo, Mirror reported.
Prior to her Instagram poll, the teen had reportedly posted a status to her Facebook page.
The status read, “Wanna quit [expletive] life, I’m tired.”
Could the girl’s Instagram followers be held culpable in her death?
Local officials are reportedly questioning whether those who voted “D” on the poll could be held responsible.
In Malaysia, encouraging a minor to die by suicide is a crime.
According to Reuters , anyone found guilty could face the death penalty, or up to 20 years in prison.
In response to the girl’s death, a Malaysian Parliament member and lawyer is demanding an investigation.
“Would the girl still be alive today if the majority of netizens on her Instagram account discouraged her from taking her own life?” Ramkarpal Singh said in a statement to Reuters. “Would she have heeded the advice of netizens to seek professional help had they done so?”
Malaysia’s youth and sports minister has also called for an investigation into the circumstances of the girl’s death.
“It is very unfortunate a young life was lost in this manner,” Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman told The Independent .
He is also calling for the incident to be used to highlight the need for national-level mental health discussions in Malaysia.
Police have determined the death a suicide and ruled out any involvement in the death.
At this time, the girl’s body has been taken to the Sarawek General Hospital Forensic Department where a post mortem will be completed.
h/t: Business Insider
