What environmental and social factors influence non-suicidal self-harm?
Summary
When discussing non-suicidal self-injury (NSI), the focus is often on alarm, statistics, or its link to suicide risk. However, it may be important to also address it from a social context or dimension: not only what challenges young people face today, but also what conditions influence this behavior and, above all, what we as a society can do about it.
Are there groups at higher risk of non-suicidal self-harm?
According to the latest data, one in three young people (34.7%) report having self-harmed at some point, and 16.5% do so frequently. Among them, we know that there are groups or communities in which non-suicidal self-harm is more prevalent. The most significant: girls. According to a recent study, 45% of adolescent girls have visited websites that teach self-harm (Gómez Miguel et al., 2025).
Different expert voices point out that one of the risk factors is being female, but they also point to other non-exclusive groups, such as LGBTIQA+ people or autistic people , so we must reflect on gender mandates and specific violence against these groups (as the struggles of feminism and also the Minority Stress model described by Ian Meyer remind us).
Regarding socio-family and economic factors , studies indicate the impact of aspects such as (Spanish Association of Pediatrics, 2022):
- Domestic violence.
- School bullying.
- Sociocultural uprooting.
- Child sexual abuse.
- Isolation.
- Economic insecurity.
- Overcrowding.
One fact: one in four young people (24.8%) who live in severe deprivation admit to having frequently self-harmed.
Therefore, if our gender characteristics and conditions influence non-suicidal self-harm, we should be able to intervene from a social and community perspective (not just individually).
Risk and protective factors for self-harm
What role do social media play in non-suicidal self-harm?
At a time when increasingly younger people are using social media (some expert voices warn of families who normalize their 11-year-old son or daughter having social media so as not to be excluded), it is necessary to speak clearly about the importance of addressing both the content of social media and the management of its consumption when it comes to reducing non-suicidal self-harm.
Women, LGBTIQA+ people, and autistic people are at greater risk of non-suicidal self-harm, so we must reflect on gender mandates and specific forms of violence against these groups.
Let's take TikTok as an example. The investigative report "A Day in the Life of a 13-Year-Old on TikTok: How the Algorithm Endangers Vulnerable Minors" (Rubio, 2026), published in El País , confirmed how TikTok, the favorite social network of young people in Spain, despite its security settings, is able to open avenues to content that normalizes self-harm and trivializes suicide. TikTok's own search engine is capable of suggesting alternatives to find content that is theoretically prohibited on the platform.
It has also been shown through various investigations that OpenAI's controls to protect the mental health of minors using ChatGPT do not work, and other platforms would not be exempt from criticism either.
Therefore, it is once again necessary to address the phenomenon in a social and political way, beyond individuality.
The relationship between social media use and self-harming behavior
Guidelines for social and community intervention
Individuals who engage in non-suicidal self-harm should develop adaptive strategies in therapy to cope with overwhelming negative emotions. But beyond this work, we as adults and as a society can and must do much more. Here are some guidelines and recommendations for intervention (Bonifacio, 2025):
Breaking the taboo and misinformation
- Promote open discussion about non-suicidal self-harm, but in an appropriate way.
- Promote dialogue.
- To emphasize a correct approach from the media.
Promote actions by group or condition
- From a gender perspective . We must ask ourselves what specific pressures, mandates, upbringing, and forms of violence girls face in order to address them. We must also examine elements of traditional masculinity that generate discomfort in order to offer alternative models of masculinity.
- Against LGBTphobia , promoting safe spaces and freedom of expression.
- For people with autism: actions for a better social understanding of the characteristics of autism and to promote kinder scenarios (reduction of stimuli, anticipation of situations, concrete, clear and concise messages…).
- Against racism and violence against minority groups.
- With an intersectional perspective , exploring all the oppressions and categories that affect a person.
Regarding environmental factors
- To demand better socio-economic conditions for the entire population (with special emphasis on housing conditions), especially for the most vulnerable groups.
- Improve the prevention and handling of school bullying , prioritizing its prevention and the promotion of educational centers as safe spaces.
- To address the prevention of child sexual abuse (CSA) in an early, respectful, restorative manner that avoids revictimization of those who have suffered it.
Regarding isolation and unwanted loneliness
On a personal level:
- Show genuine interest.
- Do not judge.
- To convey to young people that we care about them, that we want to be there for them, that they can count on us.
- Open the communication channel.
- Avoid comments such as: "Why are you doing this to me?; Why are you doing this to yourself?; How could you have done it again?"
At a collective level: in contrast to individualism and isolation, presence, community connection and participation.
Socio-educational intervention with young people who self-harm
Regarding emotional management
- Participate in the supervision of the person.
- Accompany the person to appointments with professionals.
- Participate in distraction strategies and other alternative adaptive strategies that the person uses.
Regarding social media
- Monitor the content that the person consumes on social media.
- Prioritize the use of devices in common areas.
- Set clear boundaries.
- Activate parental control tools.
- Teaching minors how to block profiles, mute words, report content that makes them feel bad…
- Encourage communication and the presence of trusted adult figures.
- Create safe spaces and communication to prevent the algorithm from becoming the only "companion" of discomfort.
- As adult figures, review your own use of social media, especially in the presence of minors.
- Promote spaces for interaction and leisure without social media.
- Promote spaces for face-to-face socialization, focusing on reducing isolation.
It is important to question what we, as a society, are offering to people who find no other way to manage their distress than through non-suicidal self-harm.
We must, therefore, avoid overly medicalized, psychiatric, or solely behavioral responses, and complement them with socio-community measures and strategies. Participating in addressing these issues will not only prevent us from feeling powerless or frustrated, but will also empower us as citizens.
Ultimately, we should strive for a more humane and caring society.
