Introduction Self-injurious behavior is now more and more common among adolescents. For many guys, seeking support on social networks becomes, by self-report, the main way to get support and the main reason for stopping self-harm. Parents of teenagers do not share this opinion, and insist that the Internet worsens the mental well-being of a teenager. Objectives to study the phenomenon of online peer support among adolescents with self-harm Methods The study involved self-injured adolescents hospitalized in Scientific-practical Children's and Adolescents Mental Health Center n.a. G.Sukhareva. As a control group, the study included adolescents with eating disorders. Results The main and control groups differed in the direction of support for Internet communities: adolescents with self-harm describe the groups as preventing dysfunctional behavior (looking for reasons not to harm themselves, sharing emotional experiences); for adolescents with eating disorders - as supporting dysfunctional behavior. Parents of teenagers in both groups described the Internet community as extremely negative. Conclusions The views of parents and professionals about the phenomenon of peer support in adolescent Internet communities currently require further research.

Could social networking be a protective factor in self-harming behavior in adolescents?