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| Websites lobbied over net suicide | Websites lobbied over net suicide |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Internet companies have been asked to help with the growing problem of teenage suicides in Northern Ireland. | |
| Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has met Bebo, Vodafone and Google in a bid to stop websites being used to promote suicide among young people. | Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has met Bebo, Vodafone and Google in a bid to stop websites being used to promote suicide among young people. |
| He highlighted the growing danger of copycat suicides linked to internet usage and social networking sites. | He highlighted the growing danger of copycat suicides linked to internet usage and social networking sites. |
| Mr McGimpsey asked internet firms to confirm by the end of the month what action they intended to take. | |
| The minister said that while recognising the "positive contribution made by the internet industry, what was needed now were preventative measures". | The minister said that while recognising the "positive contribution made by the internet industry, what was needed now were preventative measures". |
| "Young people are our most valuable resource and we cannot delay in putting in place strong measures aimed at protecting them," he said. | "Young people are our most valuable resource and we cannot delay in putting in place strong measures aimed at protecting them," he said. |
| "In the last twelve months the rate of suicides in Northern Ireland has increased significantly and the internet has been cited as a contributory factor in some cases." | "In the last twelve months the rate of suicides in Northern Ireland has increased significantly and the internet has been cited as a contributory factor in some cases." |
| The problem, he said, was not unique to Northern Ireland and "had the potential to be repeated in other jurisdictions". | The problem, he said, was not unique to Northern Ireland and "had the potential to be repeated in other jurisdictions". |
| "For that reason I will be raising this issue at my forthcoming meetings with my counterparts in the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland," he said. | "For that reason I will be raising this issue at my forthcoming meetings with my counterparts in the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland," he said. |
| Mr McGimpsey chairs the Ministerial Coordination Group on Suicide Prevention. | Mr McGimpsey chairs the Ministerial Coordination Group on Suicide Prevention. |