The expression “suicide” ceased to be a foreign concept in Argentine childhoods and adolescence. What was previously an unthinkable expression at an early age, today appears naturally when faced with anger, frustration or anguish. For mental health specialists, the phenomenon is affected by the impact of digital platforms, overinformation and constant exposure to violent content.
Official statistics show that the problem stopped being external and became a public health emergency. According to data from the Public Guardianship Ministry, the National Health Surveillance System and UNICEF studies, suicide has become one of the main causes of death among adolescents in Argentina. In the last 25 years, mortality from suicide in young people has tripled and currently represents the second cause of death among people between 10 and 19 years old. In 2023 alone, those under 20 years of age represented 11.6% of the suicides recorded in the country.
But behind the numbers appears another equally alarming phenomenon, which is the growing circulation of the idea of suicide among children and adolescents who do not necessarily want to die, but do find in that concept a way to express suffering. The Public Guardianship Ministry warned that since the end of 2022, hospitalizations due to suicidal risk in minors have increased, while the National Epidemiological Bulletin reported that between April 2023 and October 2025, more than 22 thousand cases linked to suicidal behavior were reported. 94% were attempts that did not end in death, reflecting the magnitude of the suffering expressed before a fatal outcome.
Psychopedagogist Candela Astudillo assures that in clinical practice expressions related to “wanting to die” or “killing oneself” appear more and more frequently at an early age. “They are expressions that are more socially naturalized than before. In situations of anger, frustration or reluctance they begin to appear as part of normality,” he explains. For the professional, the phenomenon forces us to rethink how frustration, self-demand and the digital context are affecting today’s childhood.
Along these lines, Astudillo maintains that “platforms are already part of everyday parenting and many children even manage to deactivate parental restrictions to access content that is not appropriate for their age,” he warns. According to their analysis, minors constantly consume content crossed by violence, extreme competition and death, incorporating these languages as something habitual.
The specialist emphasizes that “childhoods are crossed by content that does not invite creativity or imagination, but rather by languages associated with adulthood from a negative place,” she says.
Psychologist Francisco Laure agrees that the appearance of the term “suicide” became more frequent and earlier. From his clinical experience, he observes that “sometimes they use words very lightly because they hear them on networks or digital consumption, but they do not necessarily understand in depth what they imply,” he explains.
For Laure, “the dangerous thing is that suicide is established as a possible response to the vicissitudes of life,” he warns.
For its part, UNICEF maintains that “digital transformations” have profoundly altered the psychosocial well-being of children and adolescents, exposing them to content and discourses previously inaccessible for those ages. The algorithmic logic of networks such as TikTok, Instagram or YouTube facilitates the constant circulation of videos, stories and references linked to self-harm, depression and death.
Viral phenomena such as the “Blue Whale” challenge, which spread worldwide a few years ago, set a precedent for how the Internet can turn self-harm into a shared, replicable and even aspirational phenomenon within certain vulnerable groups. Although many platforms implemented blocks and alerts, specialists warn that this content reappears under new forms and names.
The “Blue Whale” challenge proposed 50 tests that had to be completed over several consecutive days. The first slogans seemed harmless, but over time they progressed towards risky behavior, self-harm and social isolation. Specialists warn that these types of challenges take advantage of the emotional vulnerability of children and adolescents.
Astudillo explains that in most cases children do not directly verbalize that they participate in viral challenges or consume dangerous content. “The speeches begin to appear first among peers. Only when an adult intervenes and the dialogue deepens do clues emerge about what they are seeing or going through on social networks,” he points out.
In parallel, specialists warn about another worrying problem, adult minimization. Mood swings, isolation, irritability or excessive use of networks and video games are often taken as “age things”, when in reality they can be early signs of emotional suffering.
“You should never underestimate an expression linked to suicide,” says Laure. The psychologist emphasizes that, in addition to words, it is essential to observe changes in habits, emotions and behaviors. “Many times there are factors that cannot be seen in time. That is why it is important to talk about the subject without taboos and consult professionals when warning signs appear,” he says.
Organizations linked to mental health have been denouncing for years the lack of budget and resources allocated to prevention and psychological care. Although Argentina has a National Suicide Prevention Law (No. 27,130), specialists warn that its implementation is insufficient in the face of the growth in cases.
According to the Public Guardianship Ministry, a large part of hospitalizations due to suicidal risk occur after verbal manifestations related to death or self-harm.
“When the concept of suicide appears, many times there is no clear understanding of what it implies, but there is an intention to be heard,” explains Astudillo. The psychopedagogue maintains that the challenge is to differentiate when it is an isolated repetition and when it begins to transform into a persistent discourse.
For specialists, the key is not to censor the word, but to enable real listening spaces. Ask, talk and accompany as central tools in the face of a generation that grows hyperconnected, exposed to permanent stimuli and with fewer spaces for emotional containment.
While statistics grow and discourses about death appear at increasingly younger ages, concern is no longer just about completed cases, but about a childhood that began to incorporate suicide into its daily language.
Pilar Caputo
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