Twitter Removes #ThereIsHelp Suicide Prevention Message, Then Restores Function After Outcry

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Just days before Christmas, Twitter disabled a feature that displayed suicide prevention and other safety resources in response to user searches for content on certain topics. After outcry by consumer safety groups and Twitter users, the function has been restored.

The feature was identified by the hashtag #ThereIsHelp and would provide information at the top of search results whenever a Twitter user looked up topics that included suicide, mental health, HIV, Covid-19, vaccines, natural disasters, discrimination, free speech, and child sexual abuse. The results would target government hotlines and support organizations in the relevant country or region where the user was located.

According to a report by Reuters on Friday, two people familiar with the matter said that the disabling of the function was ordered by Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Musk called the Reuters report “fake news” and added that “Twitter doesn’t prevent suicide.”

Twitter head of trust and safety Ella Irwin sent Reuters an email after the article was published. “We have been fixing and revamping our prompts,” she wrote. “They were just temporarily removed while we do that.”

“We know these prompts are useful in many cases and just want to make sure they are functioning properly and continue to be relevant,” Irwin added.

The two sources who told the Reuters reporters about Musk’s decision to disable the feature requested anonymity because they “feared retaliation,” the outlet reported. “One of them said millions of people had encountered #ThereIsHelp messages.”

The decision to disable the feature — even temporarily — was sharply criticized, especially because of the timing during the holiday season.

Since taking the reins at Twitter, Musk has said he wants to combat content like child sexual abuse material on the platform, but he gutted the teams of employees who were responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and moderating or blocking such content. A report by Insider found that graphic photos, video, and hashtags of self-harm content was “thriving” on the social media network.

Irwin’s email to Reuters indicated that Twitter expected to restore #ThereIsHelp functionality “next week,” but it was back as of Saturday.

In the United States, if you or someone you know is struggling, there is free and confidential help available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the suicide hotline by text or toll-free call to 988 or on the 988 hotline website.