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YouTuber Logan Paul Apologises After Huge Backlash Over Suicide Forest Video

YouTuber Logan Paul Apologises After Huge Backlash Over Suicide Forest Video

In the 15 minute video, he featured up close footage of a person who had taken their own life. Understandably the internet is not happy...

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Suicide is no doubt one of the biggest crises affecting us today, with virtually every country around the world trying to curtail it. There are so many initiatives, programs, organisations and ambassadors out there to help those who are struggling with inner demons - however there are right and wrong ways to help.

Unfortunately for YouTuber Logan Paul, he's found himself on the latter side.

Logan Paul/YouTube

During a trip to Japan, the 22-year-old made a video on Aokigahara (also known as the 'suicide forest'), a dense area at the foot of Mt Fuji where many people go to take their own lives. While there have been a few documentaries on the subject, Paul's video included footage of a dead body.

Ironically, the swear words were reportedly censored on his video, in order to not offend any of the YouTuber's 15.2 million subscribers. However, the dead person was clear for everyone to see (except for the victim's face).

Understandably, people are fucking angry.

In the video, the American appeared emotional after discovering the body and issued a message to his followers to seek help if they're struggling with mental health issues. However, the decision to include footage of the dead body was obviously a poor one.

It's not as if the body was in the distance either, they get ridiculously close.

As the abuse on social media continues to pile on, Logan has issued an apology on Twitter acknowledging it was a mistake.

He says: "Where do I begin,

"Let's start with this -

"I'm sorry.

"This is a first for me. I've never faced criticism like this before, because I've never made a mistake like this before. I'm surrounded by good people and believe I make good decisions, but I'm still a human being. I can be wrong.

"I didn't do it for views. I get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity. That's never the intention. I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought, 'if this video saves just ONE life, it'll be worth it,' I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video. I still am.

PA

"I do this sh*t every day. I've made a 15-minute TV show EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past 460+ days. One may understand that it's easy to get caught up in the moment without fully weighing the possible ramifications.

"I'm often reminded of how big of a reach I truly have and with great power comes great responsiblity... for the first time in my life I'm regretful to say I handled that power incorrectly. It won't happen again.

"I love everyone. I believe in people. I'm out here. Peace #Logang4Life."

The video has been taken down but not before it notched up more than half a million views.

'U OK M8?' is an initiative from LADbible in partnership with a range of mental health charities which features a series of films and stories to raise awareness of mental health.

Explore more here and don't suffer in silence. Reach out. It's the brave thing to do.

MIND: 0300 123 3393.

Samaritans: 116 123.

CALM: Outside London 0808 802 5858, inside London 0800 58 58 58.

Mental Health Foundation

Featured Image Credit: Logan Paul/YouTube

Topics: World News, Logan Paul, News, Mental Health, Social Media, technology news, Technology, youtuber, Japan, YouTube