Global health leaders push suicide prevention into AI safety policy

By AI, Created 2:08 PM UTC, May 17, 2026, /AGP/ – Leading suicide prevention and child safety groups are urging governments and platform makers to embed suicide prevention into AI chatbots, social media design and online safety rules. The call comes ahead of a WHA79 side event in Geneva focused on how digital tools can better protect children and young people in distress.

Why it matters: - AI chatbots and social platforms are increasingly becoming the first place children and young people turn for help during mental distress. - Health leaders say suicide prevention needs to be treated as a public health issue in AI governance, not only as a technology policy problem. - The debate is moving to WHA79, where digital safety and youth mental health are rising on the global health agenda.

What happened: - The International Association for Suicide Prevention, Orygen, Safe Online and Crisis Text Line called for suicide prevention to be embedded in AI tools, governance and online safety policy. - The groups pointed to a growing trend of children asking tools such as ChatGPT, Grok and Claude for advice during periods of emotional distress. - A side event at WHA79 will bring together public health leaders, policymakers, civil society and global health partners to examine how AI and social media can be designed and governed to protect vulnerable people. - The 90-minute session is set for Wednesday 20 May 2026, from 12:00 to 13:30, at The Warwick Hotel, Rue de Lausanne 14, 1201 Genève. - The event is titled Online Safety: Artificial Intelligence, Social Media and Suicide Prevention.

The details: - The co-hosts said current AI governance and online safety frameworks do not yet adequately reflect suicide prevention evidence, guidelines and legislation. - The groups said platform, chatbot and algorithm design should be treated as a public health issue. - Opening remarks will come from Wendy Orchard, CEO of IASP, and Mark Van Omeren, Head of the Mental Health and Substance Use Unit at the World Health Organisation. - Panel 1 will be moderated by Marija Manojlovic of Safe Online and include Margaret Meagher of Crisis Text Line, Professor Jo Robinson of IASP and Orygen, and Saisha M of the Mariwala Health Initiative. - Panel 1 will examine the current digital governance landscape, what is known about risks and opportunities, youth mental health, ethical AI tools for prevention and support, harm-amplifying mechanisms in AI environments, and regulation and safety-by-design models. - Panel 2 will focus on youth perspectives and will be moderated by Nataya Branjerdporn of Orygen Global. - Panel 2 speakers include Whitney Gray of DTH-Lab, Adrián Pérez Ara of the Brain Health Collective, Tiwa Ayeni of GMHAN and Anne Geijtenbeek, a WHO Youth Delegate from the Netherlands. - The youth panel will center on lived experience of online harm, the mental health impact of AI tools and social media, and what young people need from platforms and policymakers. - The session is a civil society and expert convening. - The panels will not include technology industry or Member State representatives. - Registration is available through the event announcement here. - Media contacts listed for the event are Katherine Thomson at katherinethomson@iasp.info and Iryna Gudyma at iryna@safeonline.global. - The event will be filmed and photographed, and footage, quote cards and an event summary will be available to media on request after the session. - Interviews with co-hosts and panellists can be arranged in advance or on the day.

Between the lines: - The co-hosts are trying to shape the policy conversation before AI safety rules harden without suicide prevention standards built in. - By excluding industry and Member State representatives, the convening is positioning itself as an independent forum centered on clinical, public health and lived-experience perspectives. - The emphasis on referral pathways suggests AI tools are already being used as entry points into mental health support, even as clinical standards and coordination lag. - The safe messaging note shows organizers want the media to avoid reporting practices that can increase risk.

What’s next: - Delegates and stakeholders at WHA79 will use the side event as input for ongoing work on online safety and AI governance. - The co-hosts are expected to use the Geneva session to press for safety-by-design rules, better referral pathways and clearer clinical standards. - Media materials and post-event interviews will be made available after the session.