Andrew Dickens Afternoons

WARNING: SENSITIVE CONTENT Social media and a lack of available help are being blamed for a rise in young Kiwi girls cutting themselves.A Stuff investigation has found a number of 'cutting groups' across social media, where girls between 11 and 14 take photos of their slit wrists and share them online. Statistics show that girls and young women are twice as likely to go down this route than boys, and there has been a 20 per cent increase in self-inflicted injuries nationwide. The disparity is particularly high amongst those under 30.One caller to Andrew Dickens Afternoons, Victoria, says that she engaged in this behaviour when she was young. She says her parents were unsure what to say or how to help her when she opened up to them, but she still appreciated their views.Two parents, Mary and Amanda, revealed that their daughters and their circle of friends have engaged in this behaviour. Amanda says she struggled to know what to say when her daughter spoke about her actions.LISTEN TO THE TALKBACK FEEDBACK ABOV