YouTuber Logan Paul has been at the centre of enormous controversy in recent days since he decided to upload a video featuring the body of a suicide victim.
Now the 22-year-old has confirmed that he'll be taking time off 'to reflect' in the wake of the video, which has inspired a severe backlash against him.
Paul's video showed him and his friends making jokes at the expense of the dead man they found while touring Aokigahara, the 'suicide forest' at the base of Mt. Fuji, Japan.
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The YouTuber, 22, tweeted: "Taking time to reflect. No vlog for now. See you soon."
Two days before, Paul posted a recorded apology for uploading the video, admitting that he 'made a huge mistake' and was 'ashamed' of himself.
Some of his followers were sympathetic to the decision to take time away from social media, suggesting Paul had shown his 'compassion'.
Others, however, continued to be less impressed with his behaviour.
The YouTube star had sought to explain his actions in the video by saying what he and his friend found in the forest 'was obviously unplanned' and their reactions 'were raw, they were unfiltered'.
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"None of us knew how to react, or how to feel," Paul said, before adding: "I should have never posted the video. I should have put the cameras down and stopped recording what we were going through."
Paul's original apology for the video, written in the form of a phone note and posted on Twitter, was criticised for its inappropriate tone, as Paul highlighted the reach of his channel and ended it with the hashtag #Logangforlife.
Since the incident Japanese police have confirmed that they wish to speak with Paul as part of their investigation. While there is no legal obligation to report a dead body in Japan, Masaki Ito, a spokesman for the Yamanashi prefectural police, are interested in speaking with Paul as a 'suicide may be involved'.
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Japan has been trying hard to reduce the grisly reputation of Aokigahara, which is a notorious suicide spot nationally and globally.
In 2010, 247 people attempted suicide in the forest, and dozens of bodies are believed to be removed from the site each year.
In 2011 local officials installed CCTV cameras at the main entrance of Aokigahara and stepped up patrols of the forest. Signs dotted across the forest also urge visitors against suicide, advising them to think of their families.
'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.
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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.
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Topics: World News, Logan Paul, Mental Health, Interesting
