Detecting and Categorizing Websites that Promote Self-Harm
Self-harm, or self-injury, includes actions such as cutting, burning, pro-ana, and attempted suicide. Among psychologists and other mental health counselors, self-harm is often categorized as “without intent to commit suicide” or “with intent to commit suicide”. Research has linked self-harm among young people to Internet usage. Another survey has shown that seventeen percent of college students in the United States admitted to self-harm behavior. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has ranked suicide as the tenth leading cause of death in the United States.
Suicide may not be the intent of the individual who performs self-harm, but it can still be the result. zvelo now supports the need to detect such websites that promote this behavior and categorize them. By doing so, zvelo can provide brand safety for advertisers and also provide this category to customers with web filtering requirements.
