I think focusing on shutting down the site misses the point of "protecting" people entirely. Genuinely, joining this site actually turned my mental health around significantly, as fucked as that sounds. I'm not longer a terrified beast in a cage, alone and afraid. I can come here, talk about how life sucks and I don't want to live, and y'all are (usually) sweeter than a peach and nonjudgmental. I'm no longer "one bad day away from downing a bottle of pills and ending up hospitalized bc I failed" nearly every single day. I actually have the energy to get up, go to work, be annoyed, and come home without every little minor inconvenience being yet another reason to kill myself.
on the note of "this site gives info to vulnerable minors", yeah. so does google. that's how I know the lethality and pain levels associated with basically almost everything I could kill myself with in the house. as a former young teen myself, I found it incredibly easy to find dangerous info and materials anywhere.
I was 14, I think, when I found the PPH for the first time. 15 when I found out about MAID and right-to-die activist groups. 16 when I was desperately researching where I could move and what qualifications I needed to meet to die a dignified death. I started SHing when I was even younger, and believe me, I was crafty as hell with getting my tools. being strip searched couldn't even stop me. I'm 25, nearly 26 now, and the fear of things being taken away from me and the fear of being involuntarily hospitalized keeps me from being able to talk about and deal with my feelings in a healthy manner. I only really have this site and edibles to deal with how massively suicidal I still am to this day because of that.
If a kid wants to know something, they'll either keep at it until they find out, or give up. the more you try to hide things, the more they'll dig. complete censorship in the name of "minor safety" is a massive slippery slope. like yeah, I don't think minors should be on here, but I also remember that I was like 15 when I first joined an eating disorder forum.
anyways, long story short, shutting this site down is stupid and does nothing to solve the problem of people killing themselves. I would be dead without this site. I owe SS my life currently, as ironic as that is to say. I would have died painfully and tragically, probably a year or so ago in a fit of desperation. Now I have plans for my next year (if I don't end up CTB after new years, which I think I'll wait until my birthday comes around one more time after this one.). I feel less on edge, less afraid, less.... alone, really. At the core of it, that's why I joined the site. I was alone and couldn't talk about wanting to die anywhere else
sorry for the long rambles, I'm tired and should be heading off to sleep lol