Tragic events support

There are tools available allowing you to choose how you interact with content related to a tragic event to support your well-being:

• Set boundaries: News and media coverage of a tragic event can be a way to stay informed, but continuously interacting with it can result in increased anxiety. Stay in tune with your emotions. Balance staying informed with finding alternate activities that uplift and soothe you. You can choose to manage your FYP and use available features such as ‘not interested‘ to reduce this type of content on your feed.
• Find a local or online support group (such as those in our resource list): There’s strength in unity. Consider joining support groups, either in your community or online. Shared experiences can remind you that you’re not going through this pain alone.
• Lean on your circle of family, friends and community members: sometimes we avoid loved ones when we are having a hard time. But isolation can make us feel more alone. Talking to, or just being with people you trust, may offer some relief.
• Take care of your well-being: some support techniques you may try include journalling, reading, spiritual practices, meditating, listening to music, spending time in nature or other activities that allow you to process your emotions.

What you share is just as important as deciding whether to share. Research shows that stories of coping, hope and recovery can help others. You have a unique voice, perspective and experience – use them to shape your own message and impact. It’s also important to take precautions to ensure that the information you engage with and share is reliable and accurate. You can do this by seeking out credible and authoritative sources and verifying information before sharing. When responding to a tragic event, consider the following questions:

• Could this content have a negative impact on people viewing it (e.g. exposing them to violent images or conspiracy theories)?
• Am I sharing information that has not been provided by a trusted source, such as a government department or an authoritative news agency?
• Could this content unintentionally harm the victims, their families, friends, community or others affected by this event?
• Could this content contribute to the current state of fear or panic surrounding the tragic event?
• Does the content include graphic audio, text or images that could be harmful or distressing to others, particularly those affected by the event?
• Does this content blame a certain community or communities for the tragic event?
• When responding to a tragic event caused by individual(s), could this content promote the actions of the individual(s) responsible for the tragic event or inspire others to carry out violence?

If you do decide to post content in response to a tragic event:

• When sharing or discussing violent or hateful behaviour, provide context that shows you are not supporting the behaviour. This can include commenting on the negative impact on communities.
• Avoid graphic details and content that may cause harm to the victims, their families, friends, community or others affected by the tragic event. If sharing this content, provide trigger warnings and use tools to blur graphic images as well as the identities of individuals in your post.
• To help prevent the spread of misinformation during an evolving tragic event, take precautions to ensure that the information you share is from a trusted source, such as a government institution or authoritative news agency.
• If posting about a tragic event caused by an individual(s), focus on the victims, survivors and responders, and avoid sharing information about the individual(s) responsible for the tragic event.
• Do not share any content produced by the individual(s) responsible for the tragic event, which could inspire others to conduct violence.