Logan Paul is back... with a suicide prevention YouTube video

YouTuber Logan Paul has returned to the spotlight after a three-week hiatus with a video about suicide prevention, in what appears to be a stab at redemption after he was universally lambasted for a deeply insensitive vlog about Japan’s ‘Suicide Forest’.

Entitled Suicide: Be Here Tomorrow, the YouTube video sees Paul go on a journey of self-discovery (apparently) to address his own ignorances about the issue. Opening with suicide statistics, Paul then interviews suicide survivor, Kevin Hines, Alo House Recovery Center’s Bob Forrest, and Dr John Draper, director of the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Paul tells Forrest that he has never known anyone who has died from suicide, which is the second-leading cause of death in Ohio, Paul’s home US state. According to Paul, it was his ‘ignorance on the subject' that was ‘part of the problem’ when deciding to film a man’s dead body for one of his vlogs.

‘I think as a society, as human beings, we just have to be more compassionate - and that includes me too’, he shares, before listing the five steps Dr Draper taught him that can help prevent suicide: ask, listen, be there, help connect, and check in.

In an ‘effort to contribute and immerse myself in the conversation’, Paul also reveals he will be pledging ‘$1m to various suicide organisations.’ He concludes the video by saying: ‘For anyone watching, I want you to know you are not alone,’ and encourages anyone who feels suicidal to call the suicide crisis hotlines.

Although a great message to send to his millions of young followers, it’s hard not to view this is a rather cynical way of trying to stay relevant after upsetting people with his ill-judged video in Japan. Maybe he does really care, or maybe he misses his popularity and the riches he earns from it.