‘Most suicide victims in Bacolod are Gen Z members’

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Most suicide victims here are members of Generation Z.

According to pewresearch.org, Generation Z members were born between 1997 and 2012, after the millennials who were born from 1981 to 1996.

Various study say that most Gen Z members have access to digital technology since a young age and are comfortable with the Internet and social media, but are not necessarily digitally literate.

Police Col. Arnel Pico, Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) spokesman, said they recorded nine suicide cases (both consummated and attempted) from January to June 2020.

Pico said he does not believe that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) against the coronavirus pandemic played a big role in the suicide cases.

“I don’t believe the recent ECQ played a role, maybe only a little.”

Pico also said that in the past, whenever there was an attempted suicide case, their intervention is to conduct house visitations to help the victim.

But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, police were unable to do house visitations and instead resorted to the use of social media in the campaign against suicide.

Since most of the victims are very young, Pico advised parents to orient their children to learn to live outside of their comfort zone.

“Take time as parents to talk to your children,” Pico said.

He also advised the parents to stop “spoon-feeding” their children and from time to time give them simple chores and teach them not to get too emotionally attached.