We live in a beautiful era that romanticizes self-care, especially on social media. Despite this, some still feel the need to do digital self-harm.

What is digital self-harm?

Like almost anything today, self-harm can be done virtually as well. Digital self-harm is a form of cyberbullying where instead of attacking others online, a person attacks themselves. Similar to physical self-harm, it has effects on the physical and mental health of a person. It is prevalent in teenagers and young adults, making researchers keen on looking into its link with suicide.

Digital self-harm encompasses a range of online communication and virtual activities that lead to physical self-harm or damage to a person's mental well-being. This includes posting critical and hurtful language, images and videos on one's feed using another account that seems "anonymous" but is actually owned by the same person.

Reasons for digital self-harm

Like physical self-harm, there is no one single cause for digital self-harm. However, since this happens mostly in teenagers, identifying possible reasons can help parents provide a solution. In a study conducted in New Zealand, teenage girls and boys gave different reasons. Boys engaged in digital self-harm mostly to make a joke, but the girls did it for several reasons, including wanting to show resilience, looking for sympathy from their friends and seeking reassurance of their friendship.

The study also found that about 35 percent achieved their desired outcome after digitally self-harming. This was significantly higher for boys than girls. Other teenage participants in the study who said that they did not engage in digital self-harm hypothesized that some did it for attention and sympathy.