There is a lot of material about how to keep children and teens safe online. Following the discovery of a deadly online game, here is what parents need to know about ‘Blue Whale’; an online suicide game that is killing teens using social media.
What is The Suicide Game About?
There is a frightening trend appearing on social media sites in Russia and spreading across the world, involving a suicide game called ‘Blue Whale’ where participants win by dying.
The underlying premise of the game is as follows: the teen signs up and is given an administrator or curator. This curator gives instructions on things to do, over the course of 50 days, and requires proof that the demands were carried out. The ‘Blue Whale challenge’ encourages at-risk participants to take part in a series of tasks like cutting themselves every day for 50 days.
At the end of the 50 days, the victims are are then instructed to kill themselves on the final day of the sick ‘challenge
The challenge is thought to be named after the common belief that blue whales voluntarily wash up on beaches to die.
British police are warning parents about the dangers of a sick social media ‘game’ that’s said to be responsible for hundreds of teenage suicides in Russia.
The Manipulation of The Game
According to a source, the creator of the game admitted his victims “died happy, saying he gave them that which they did not have in their real life; warmth, understanding, connection.”
The children who fall victim to this game are lied to and led by a fear that someone will come after them or their family if they don’t follow the rules.
Investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported that the adults behind this chain know psychology well. They convince girls that they are ‘fat’, tell boys that they are ‘losers’ in this world. And that there is another world and they will be among the chosen.
[Read: Teaching Teenagers Love and Resect in A Digital Age]
Beyond Russia
GloucestershireLive reports that parents are being warned of the ‘game’. The game has reached the UK, after it was linked to the death of more than 100 children in Russia. One school in the South East has already written to parents alerting them to “The Blue Whale Game” played across multiple social media platforms.
It might not be easy to understand what draws kids into these types of games. The signs of a suicidal child can be recognised if you know where to look. The Youth Suicide Prevention Program has outlined some of the more noticeable characteristics found in depressed or suicidal teens.
Most suicidal young people don’t really want to die; they just want their pain to end. About 80% of the time, people who kill themselves have given definite signals or talked about suicide. The key to prevention is to know these signs and what to do to help.
It is important for parents to keep tabs on what their children are doing online. No child should fall victim to these types of manipulative games. While this has come to the forefront, there are probably other ones that do the same thing; to kill, steal and destroy. Parents and young online users be aware and stay safe. [Read: Parenting Tips in the Digital Age]
God keep our children safe. Amen
