Denmark: suicide note on Instagram
The Danish influencer Fie Laursen posted a suicide note on Instagram at the weekend. The 23-year-old was found in time to prevent her death but the note, which received more than 30,000 likes and 8,000 comments, was left online for several days until Laursen herself removed it. Denmark's government and the media are discussing appropriate steps after the incident.
Different rules apply here
The social democratic Minister of Children and Education, Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil, wants bloggers with a large number of followers to be subject to press regulations. Kristeligt Dagblad says the measure is a good idea but difficult to implement:
“That would mean that you could complain if the content didn't comply with media ethics. It would be a step forward, but not really practicable. Transnational in every respect, a key characteristic of social media is that they defy national controls and play according to their own rules.”
Tech giants shirking responsibility
Instagram has issued a statement saying that going public on social media can help to heal mental illness. Politiken is outraged:
“Several countries, including Australia, New Zealand and France, are working on legislation [for regulating social media], and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has signalled that she could take the same route. ... Fie Laursen's suicide note was a desperate cry for help, from which the Facebook concern [to which Instagram belongs] has profited. Danish politicians must now listen carefully and realise that this form of shirking responsibility by the tech giants has to stop. It is high time that Mette Frederiksen turned her words into deeds.”