logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2021
33m 36s

‘Kids Are Dying. How Are These Sites Sti...

The New York Times
About this episode

This episode contains details about suicide deaths and strong language. 

A few years ago, a website about suicide appeared. On it, not only do people talk about wanting to die, but they share, at great length, how they are going to do it.

Times reporters were able to identify 45 people who killed themselves after spending time on the site, several of whom were minors. The true number is likely to be higher.

We go inside the Times investigation into the website, and ask how and why it is still allowed to operate.

If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned that someone you know may be having those thoughts, in the United States call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (TALK) or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources. Go here for resources outside the United States.

Guest: Megan Twohey, an investigative reporter for The New York Times; and Gabriel J.X. Dance, deputy investigations editor for The Times.

Background reading: 

Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Up next
Yesterday
Trump’s Top Aides Spread the Epstein Conspiracy. Now They Are Trying to Kill It.
For months, President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested that they would expose the hidden, potentially sinister truth about Jeffrey Epstein’s death in 2019.But over the past few days, the Trump administrationWhite House decided to shut down has poured cold water on t ... Show More
21m 47s
Jul 8
A Love Letter to Camp Mystic
On Monday evening, the death toll from the flooding in Central Texas rose past 100. A single place accounted for 27 of those deaths: Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian summer camp for girls.Erin Paisan, who attended Camp Mystic, explains what the place meant to generations of g ... Show More
25m 9s
Jul 7
A Dark Moment for Journalism — and Devastation in Texas
Last week, when Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, announced a $16 million settlement with President Trump over editing of a segment of “60 Minutes,” many of the network’s journalists were furious.The deal also raised questions about the independence of CBS’s journalism, ... Show More
34m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Poison - Coming soon
Warning, this series contains discussions about suicide. A new three-part investigation begins on Stories of our times this Wednesday, 26 April.James Beal, Social Affairs Editor at The Times looks into the suicide of a 22-year-old British student and soon links it to a man in Can ... Show More
1m 54s
May 2024
US suicides: Why are so many young people dying?
A record number of Americans are taking their own lives, and suicide is now the second-leading cause of death in the US for people under the age of 35. Why is this happening? How can you get help if you need it? And how is the US responding to what President Biden calls a ‘crisis ... Show More
24m 50s
Apr 2023
Poison (Pt 2) - The man who sells death
Warning, this episode contains discussions about suicide. In the second of this three-part series we learn of a man called Kenneth Law who’s based in Canada. Law appears to be selling a substance to young, vulnerable, adults in the UK, some of whom are using it to take their own ... Show More
24m 27s
Sep 2021
How To Help Someone At Risk Of Suicide
Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, according to the most current data. But research shows that suicide is preventable. Host Emily Kwong talks with NPR health correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee about the signs that someone you know may be thinking about d ... Show More
14m 53s
Oct 2023
Surviving Suicide
Content warning: this episode includes frank discussions about mental health and suicide.  If you or someone you know is undergoing a suicidal, mental health and/or substance use crisis, please call 988.  Counselors at the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline are available to help. Suicide ... Show More
26m 23s
Sep 2023
Over 100 deaths, lethal substances, and a global investigation
This week – Ontario police charged Kenneth Law, of Mississauga, with 12 counts of counselling or aiding suicide. That’s on top of the two counts he was charged with when he was first arrested in May. Law is accused of running several websites that were used to sell sodium nitrite ... Show More
24m 26s
Feb 2021
Are You Feeling Suicidal?
Season 2 Finale! We started this season on a bridge but told you not to get caught up in the romantic notion of saviors and last minute interventions. Suicide isn’t about one moment in time. But if you or someone you love is suicidal, a single moment can be the difference between ... Show More
1h 1m
Apr 2021
A cruel disease
Reporting on suicide is complicated. In trying to tell the story of someone who’s no longer here, which parts do you tell, which parts do you keep private? After a young woman dies by suicide, Reema sets out to understand why money was on her mind shortly before her death. Just a ... Show More
35m 27s
Oct 2020
Is Suicide Contagious?
The term “suicide contagion” gets thrown around a lot in academic papers and media headlines, but what does it actually mean? The term suggests that suicidal ideation is something you can catch, but the reality is much more complicated. This week, we navigate the complexities of ... Show More
1h 2m
Aug 2022
Ep. 998 - 'Gender Identity' Is Narcissism By Another Name 
Today on the Matt Walsh Show, a “gender specialist” is caught on tape admitting that girls as young as 12 are having their breasts chopped off. One seemingly absurd and unimportant headline in the news today only further reveals the brutality and insanity of this practice. Also, ... Show More
1h 7m