Samaritan Radar Mobile App

U.K.-based charity Samaritans launched a new web app called Samaritans Radar that notifies users if their friends have made any worrying tweets that could indicate depression or a risk of suicide.

The app is free to use, and once activated will scan users’ Twitter feeds, notifying them of any tweets that contain words or phrases that raise a flag.

Joe Ferns, Executive Director of Policy, Research & Development at Samaritans, said about the app:

We know that people struggling to cope often go online looking for support, however, there is still so much we need to learn about why this happens and how we can make the online environment safer for vulnerable people. [. . .] We need to use tools such as Samaritans Radar to encourage people to look out for one another online, helping them to reach out and offer support.

The app works by looking for key words and phrases such as “tired of being alone,” “hate myself” and “need someone to talk to.” It then sends you an email notification of the tweet along with information on supporting friends suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts.

With people increasingly under a barrage of information and media, the charity’s goal with Samaritan Radar is to help people keep track of the friends who need their help most. In an ad posted to YouTube, Samaritans shows that it can be hard to spot the friends who really need support.

The app can be used for free by anyone using Twitter, but Samaritans’ target audience is the “Millennial” generation of 18 to 35 year olds.

Samaritans notes that the app is still in its infancy and “not good at sarcasm or jokes,” but they hope that user feedback and testing will improve the application’s algorithms over time.

Samaritans says its mission is to “alleviate emotional distress and reduce the incidence of suicide feelings and suicidal behavior” and offers community outreach programs, mental health educational material, and 24/7 suicide hotline support.