My name is Alice Hendy. I lost my only sibling, my brother Josh, on 25th November 2020 to suicide at 21 years old.

Josh had been researching techniques to take his own life via harmful internet searches on his devices. The content available online following a search of this nature currently provides mental health support in one format; a helpline.

To ensure more help and support is given to individuals searching for harmful content online, I set up R;pple Suicide Prevention (www.ripplesuicideprevention.com)

If I go to my local mobile phone shop and pick up a brand new device, it will automatically come with the social media apps such as Facebook or Instagram installed on it. 

So why, when searches for suicide methods have increased by 50% in the last 2 years (Semrush 2021), is mental health signposting not automatically installed on all new devices to intercept anyone searching for harmful content and instead promote mental health support channels?

I need your help to rally tech giants to make this happen. It's time priorities changed and tech giants started to actively make positive changes designed to reduce harmful online content and promote wellbeing and mental health support resources. 

I don't want any other sisters waking up each morning and feeling how I feel after losing my brother to suicide. You just do not know what people are searching for online. Please help to support my mission. 

Alice 

What is R;pple?

R;pple is an online interceptive tool designed to ensure more help and support is provided to individuals who are conducting searches relating to self-harm or suicide.

R;pple provides an immediate, vibrant display on a user’s device once they have been flagged as searching for online content relating to self-harm or suicide, and consists of a message of hope as well as a selection of mental health resources in a range of different communicative options (call, text, webchat) from free, established and 24/7 charity services.

Through R;pple, an individual feeling despair and researching harmful content will be urged to instead seek mental health support they deserve and need in a way that works best for them.