Origin

Blue Whale basically gets its name from beached whales that get stranded and die. Reports of deaths linked to the Blue Whale challenge go back to 2015, and started in Russia. This game asks gamers to complete and upload videos of a series of dares over 50 days, which includes the participants to watch horror and psychic movies, cut their hands with blades and needles, carving a blue whale on one’s arm and take the extreme steps of committing suicide. Every time you complete a task, you must send photographic or video proof to an administrator or “curator.” Reportedly, uptill now there have been some 100 deaths across the world linked to the deadly game.

Creator of Blue Whale

The Blue Whale Game was created by Philipp Budeikin, a 22-year-old Russian, who directly handed out instructions to some children. In an interview this year, he said he made the game to “clean society,” as people who participated in it were “biological waste.” He has been jailed for three years. It remains unclear who is the current administrator now, and how many of them exist.

Facts you must know about ‘The Blue Whale Challenge’

• It is not a video game. It is simply a set of instructions, like a chain letter, but made viral with social media.
• Social media savvy teens have discovered this challenge from different hashtags on Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
• Social networks like Tumblr and YouTube are now trying to help by showing suicide prevention groups contacts when users post Blue Whale related keywords.
• A bunchful of teens from U.S. along with 4-5 teens from India have committed suicide.
• It incorporates 50 tasks with rules.

Suggestions for Youth

Understand the pros and cons of such dangerous games. Refrain from hurting yourself. games are meant for fun and relaxation but not at the cost of your lives.

How can parents help teens to refrain from the Suicide Challenge?

The internet is an uncontrolled and uncensored entity, which makes it hard to control all activities that teens may indulge in. So it becomes necessary for all the parents to keep a check on the activities their child is involved in.

• Parents including guardians and school teachers need to spend more time with kids
• Keep an eye on teenagers’ routine, notice discrepancies.
• Make kids aware of the dangers of games
• If prone to depression, vulnerability, provide emotional support without judgement