The series is based on best-selling author Jay Asher’s 2007 young adult book of the same title. It follows the fictional story of a teenage girl named Hannah Baker, portrayed by Katherine Langford, who leaves behind 13 mysterious audio recordings on cassette tapes after killing herself. An episode in season one originally depicted Hannah taking her own life.
A Netflix official told CNN Monday that Hannah’s suicide no longer appears on the streaming site.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and other organizations in support of the edit called it a “positive change” that mitigates “the risk for the most vulnerable teenage viewers.”
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for American youth between the ages of 10 and 24, resulting in about 4,600 deaths each year, according to the CDC.
“We believe this edit will help the show do the most good for the most people while mitigating any risk for especially vulnerable young viewers,” show creator Yorkey said in a statement on behalf of the show’s producers.
Yorkey said it was their hope in making the show “to tell a story that would help young viewers feel seen and heard, and encourage empathy in all who viewed it, much as the bestselling book did before us.”
He also said the show’s intent in showing the suicide scene “was to tell the truth about the horror of such an act, and make sure no one would ever wish to emulate it.”