A new online gaming challenge called Blue Whale has reportedly been challenging kids to commit suicide at the final stage. What’s shocking is that it is linked to almost 130 teenage deaths in Russia and is said to have originated there. A reputed international media organisation recently reported that a WhatsApp alert has been doing the rounds, which reads: “Any parents out there or anyone that knows of any kids playing an online game called ‘Blue Whale’, please get your kids off this game. It sets them 50 challenges and the last one is to commit suicide.”
The Blue Whale suicide game is believed to be an online social media group that is encouraging people to kill themselves. It is believed that a group administrator assigns daily tasks to members, which they have to complete over 50 days. The horrific tasks include self-harming, watching horror movies and waking up at unusual hours, but these gradually get more extreme. On the 50th day, the controlling manipulators behind the game reportedly instruct the youngsters to commit suicide. But, the most frightening bit is that once downloaded, the application-based game hacks the user’s phone and accesses all the details. It is also being said that you cannot uninstall or delete it. And, with the number of suicides being reported, it is a lethal addiction.
While no reports of the malicious game have been reported in India yet, there have been widespread reports of the game in Russia, United Kingdom and some parts of Spain. The biggest fear is that since it is an online entity and spread over the internet, it can be accessed from anywhere. Therefore, parents are being advised to remain vigilant about their children’s online activities. Also, it would help if they talk to their children to help create awareness about malicious content online.
