The article is devoted to such a socially significant problem as suicide of minors. It provides statistics for the last three years on the number of suicides and attempts at committing them. Emphasis is placed on the role of social networks in thesuicidal behavior of minors. The background to the issue is briefly reviewed. The activity of «death groups» in VKontakte is analysed, its two stages are determined: involvement and direct suicide inducement, as well as some peculiarities of the work. The authors describe a game that involves minors for the purposes of suicide and self-harm. A new Internet trend - dangerous challenges on the popular video hosting site TikTok - is discussed. The authors present the mechanism of the social networks themselves, as well as the activity of destructive organisations on them. The possibility of reporting (leaving a complaint) is explained, and deadlines for dealing with such appeals are given. The chronological order of counteracting destructive content in these social networks is outlined. Some examples of preventive activities, which are currently being carried out with great success, are given. Much attention is paid to the involvement of civil society institutions in prevention activities, and it is recommended to develop and support the cybervolunteer movement. The paper discusses the need for parents themselves to monitor teenagers’ social networks and messengers, as well as the importance of their information literacy.