PARENTS are being urged to speak to their children about their use of social media following the death of a JCG student last week.
In an email to parents, education officials said young people were ‘particularly vulnerable’ to coverage of suicide and self-harm, and that they needed to be made aware of the risks of sharing information on social media.
The letter also contained a list of support services for young people.
The department issued the statement following the death of 14-year-old Kezia Mason, who was in Year 10 at Jersey College for Girls.
Her family, who worked with the JEP last week to put together an article on a fundraising campaign in her memory, have said she took her own life.
In a statement, which did not name Kezia, the Education Department said: ‘We know that staff and students in many of our school communities and Islanders will be affected by the tragic death of a student from JCG, and we are continuing to offer our full support and guidance at this time.
‘It is important to be aware that young people are a particularly vulnerable audience in relation to coverage of suicide and self-harm.
‘Young people are at greater risk of suicide contagion and are more likely to be influenced by what they see and hear in the media and on social media than other age groups.
‘We would ask that you please speak to your students/children about the impact of sharing information on social media, which could cause distress and to respect the family and friends need for privacy at this very sad time.’
Available support:
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The Children and Families Hub offers support and help for any safeguarding concerns. Call the hub on 519000 or email childrenandfamilieshub@gov.je Children and Families Hub (gov.je)
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The Youth Enquiry Service (yes.je) offers information, advice and counselling for people up to 25 years old. It is free to call on 0800 7350 010 and is open from 2pm – 7pm Monday to Thursday, 2pm – 6pm Friday and 10am – 6pm on Saturdays.
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The Youth Wellbeing Drop-In Service is open from 10am to 6pm, every Saturday, at the Youth Enquiry Service YES Link Building, Eagle House, on La Colomberie.
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School-based counsellors can provide advice in secondary schools. More information is available at gov.je.
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Kooth Jersey provides a safe, moderated and non-judgmental place for young people to talk, connect and chat with others. The service offers drop-in or bookable sessions with professional counsellors between 12pm and 10pm on weekdays and between 6pm and 10pm on weekends. Young people can access Kooth by visiting kooth.com and selecting ‘Jersey Kooth’ during the sign up process.
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Samaritans Jersey is available every day, 24 hours a day for anyone who needs someone to talk to whether it’s a crisis or not and can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
Meanwhile, the fundraising campaign, started by Kezia’s 16-year-old brother, Ben, had reached more than £91,000 by Monday morning. To donate, CLICK HERE
