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7 ISJLP 1 (2011-2012)
Pro-Self-Harm and the Visibility of Youth-Generated Problematic Content

handle is hein.journals/isjlpsoc7 and id is 5 raw text is: Pro-Self-Harm and the Visibility of Youth- Generated Problematic Contentt DANAH BOYD,* JENNY RYAN,** AND ALEX LEAvITr*** Abstract: The increasing ubiquity of the Internet in the everyday lives of youth has been accompanied by a whole new set of anxieties and concerns. While many have worried about how the Internet increases youth access to problematic content-including pornographic and violent content-little consideration has been paid to youth- generated problematic content. This Article examines one genre of youth-generated problematic content: that which advocates self-harm practices. Countless websites and online communities are devoted to the topic of deliberate self-harm, ranging from online therapy and support groups to pro-anorexia and pro-cutting websites, and much of the content on these websites is produced by and for youth. This paper seeks to provide an overview of what is known t This Article was produced as part of the Youth and Media Policy Working Group at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. The authors appreciate the generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for making this project possible. The authors would like to thank James Grimmelmann and Kate Crawford for their critical feedback. * danah boyd is a Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research and a Research Associate at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. She co-directed the Internet Safety Technical Task Force and co-directs the Youth and Media Policy Working Group Initiative. danah boyd, http://www.DANAH.org (last visited Feb. 15, 2011). ** Jenny Ryan is a Ph.D. student in Communication at the University of California, San Diego. Jenny Ryan, http://www.JENNYRYAN.net (last visited Feb. 15, 2011). *** Alex Leavitt is a Research Assistant at Microsoft Research and a Researcher at the Convergence Culture Consortium (Comparative Media Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Alex Leavitt, http://www.ALEXLEAVITr.com (last visited Feb. 15, 2011).