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A 16-year-old girl reportedly jumped to her death after creating an opinion poll on Instagram asking her followers if she should kill herself.
Davia Emilia (16) from Sarawak in Malaysia committed suicide on Monday 13 May after asking her Instagram followers a disturbing question, Reuters reports.
"Really important, help me choose D/L [death or life]," she captioned her poll.
After 69% of social-media users voted yes, the youngster, who suffered from depression, killed herself by jumping off the roof of a building.
Her shocking death prompted legal expert, Ramkarpal Singh, to suggest that the people who voted "yes" be held accountable for her death, The Guardian reports.
"Would the girl still be alive today if the majority of netizens on her Instagram account discouraged her from taking her own life?" Ramkarpal said.
"Would she have heeded the advice of netizens to seek professional help had they done so? Did the encouragement of those netizens actually influence her decision to take her own life?
"Since attempted suicide is an offence in this country, it follows that abetting one to attempt suicide may be, too."
Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s minister of youth and sports, has called for a nation-wide discussion on mental health, The Sun reports.
"I'm genuinely worried about the state of our youth's mental health," Syed said.
"It's a national issue which must be taken seriously."
Instagram recently issued a statement urging users to report concerning behaviour.
"As part of our own efforts, we urge everyone to use our reporting tools and to contact emergency services if they see any behaviour that puts people's safety at risk."
Source: The Guardian, Reuters, The Sun
