Tumblr Bans Content that Promotes Self-Harm

The information superhighway is full of plenty of bad along with the good. For every healthy piece of information, there seems to be a negative counterpart. Helpful info on the principles of gravity for your child’s science project resides right there along with child porn. Explicit pro-anorexia sites (complete with tutorials and tips) exist beside healthy vegan recipe sites.

Policing the entire World Wide Web has proven too big of a task to-date, but some are taking a harder look at what goes on in their own virtual backyard. The micro-blogging site Tumblr, for instance, recently announced it is taking steps to clean house by officially prohibiting blogs "that actively promote self-harm." 

While they insist via the official Tumblr staff blog that the company is "deeply committed to supporting and defending [its] users’ freedom of speech," specific types of content—including spam, identity theft and pro-eating disorders posts—"aren't welcome on Tumblr."

For those who are afraid the company will take a Big Brother approach, cracking down on jokes or simple offhanded remarks, Tumblr is making a distinction between a post that actively promotes or glorifies self-harm vs. a post where you joke that you need to starve yourself after Thanksgiving or that you wanted to kill yourself after a humiliating date. Those comments are fine, Tumblr says, but recommending techniques for self-starvation or self-mutilation is not.

Tumblr goes on to explain, “Don’t post content that actively promotes or glorifies self-injury or self-harm. This includes content that urges or encourages readers to cut or mutilate themselves; embrace anorexia, bulimia or other eating disorders; or commit suicide rather than, e.g., seek counseling or treatment for depression or other disorders. Online dialogue about these acts and conditions is incredibly important; this prohibition is intended to reach only those blogs that cross the line into active promotion or glorification.”

The new policy goes into effect March 2012 and will include a grace period as users adjust to the new rules. Tumblr will also begin showing "public service announcements" whenever a user searches for keywords frequently associated with blogs that promote self-harm.

Co-Occurring Disorders Help at The Canyon

If you or someone you love needs help with substance abuse and a process addiction such as an eating disorder or self-harm, call The Canyon at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about co-occurring disorders treatment, financing or insurance.