79th WHA Individual Statements
Digital tools and AI hold genuine promise for suicide prevention but they also carry serious risks. Algorithmic systems can amplify harmful content, exposing vulnerable people to suicide and self-harm material. Current AI governance and online safety frameworks do not yet adequately reflect suicide prevention evidence, guidelines and legislation, and the design of platforms, chatbots and algorithmic systems is now a public health issue, not just a technology policy one.
We urge Member States to ensure that the forthcoming digital health strategy explicitly addresses mental health and suicide prevention. We also call for the meaningful inclusion of people with lived experience, civil society, and voices from low- and middle-income countries in the design, governance, and evaluation of digital health and AI systems, so that these tools genuinely serve those most at risk, rather than deepening existing harms.