Photo/Illutration SOS Filter displays a pop-up window to show users how to feel at ease. (Amane Shimazaki)

A specialized filter has been developed that connects troubled children with consultation groups and self-care methods if their online search words indicate suicidal thoughts and other problems.

SOS Filter was created by nonprofit organization Ova, which is engaged in suicide-prevention activities.

A record 514 elementary, junior and senior high school students committed suicide in 2022.

Ova has started to provide SOS Filter for free to education boards and private schools throughout Japan.

The ultimate goal is to incorporate the filter into tablet computers distributed to every student at educational institutes.

SOS Filter detects pre-registered phrases and expressions entered for online searches and displays pop-up windows on the devices to present useful information for the children.

The content shown may vary depending on the type of issue detected.

For instance, those seeking ways to “feel at least a bit at ease” will find options to relax, such as “speaking with your family and friends” and “jotting down your feelings.”

Featuring 935 designated words connected to suicide, the prototype SOS Filter was pitched last November. It was used on a trial basis through the end of March among students of combined junior and senior high schools.

During the test involving 980 students, pop-up notices through the filter were displayed on 134 occasions, or an average of 27 times monthly.

In many cases, the students tried to locate suicide-themed articles.

An improved edition of the filter can respond to 4,800 keywords about not only suicide but also bullying, abuse, sexual violence, mental illness and self-harming.

Development of SOS Filter was inspired by the personal experience of an Ova staff member, Kaho Tachikawa, 21.

Lacking self-confidence, Tachikawa constantly searched for information about dying on her smartphone during her second year at high school.

She learned about Ova while researching countermeasures against suicide as part of her club activity at high school.

Tachikawa later suggested to Jiro Ito, chairman of Ova, to put out an artificial intelligence chatbot.

Under the envisioned program, users seeking online advice to deal with their agonies should be referred to consultation organizations. The chatbot was also expected to serve as a conversation partner.

The chatbot idea apparently led to the development of SOS Filter.

SOS Filter does not collect personally identifiable data so children can safely use it. The names of those who enter problematic words for internet searches will never be sent to school operators or administrators.

“Many children must feel the same way as I did,” Tachikawa said. “First and foremost, it is important to accept and respect their behavior of searching the internet for information. I want the function to help us relate to students afflicted with difficulties.”

The number of elementary, junior and senior high school students who committed suicide in Japan reached a record 514 in 2022.

The Children and Families Agency set up a special anti-suicide unit in April 2023 and has held discussions on possible approaches.

In June 2023, the government released an enhanced emergency plan to prevent suicides among children, calling for tablet computers to be fully equipped to detect suicide risks in early stages.

Tablets are provided to children nationwide under the state’s Global and Innovation Gateway for All (GIGA) school project.

Related News