MOSCOW, May 29 (RAPSI) – The children suicide rate has been increasing in Russia in large part because of the influence of social media, the Investigative Committee’s official Sergey Korotkikh has said during a round-table conference devoted to children's right to safety.

According to Korotkikh, this rate has grown from 0.8% in 2014 to 3.5% in 2017.

VKontakte (VK) is the most popular social media among teenagers. Minors’ interest in this social network results from availability of various content including video, audio, photos and images, which often contain obscenities and encourage violence, the Investigative Committee’s official says.

The round table “Children's Right to Safety” is held as part of XV All-Russian Conference of Children’s Rights Commissioners which takes place in Moscow on May 28 and 29. The event brought together regional children’s ombudsmen, members of Russian parliament and ministries, family experts and specialists and representatives of social organizations from all over the country to discuss vital tasks of developing state policy in the field of protection of minors.